Solitary Tinamou

     The Solitary Tinamou is a large and secretive Tinamou that’s a rare and difficult-to-see resident of southeast Brazil, eastern Paraguay, and northeast Argentina. It inhabits intact closed-canopy lowland evergreen rainforest and taller secondary forests.

     The Solitary tinamou has two subspecies that differ mainly in the overall coloration and inhabits different places of the bird’s distribution range. The northern population shows ashy (as opposed to olive) upperparts, with dense, pronounced barring on the side of the neck and a more pronounced eye stripe.

     When nesting, Solitairy tinamous will often lay their eggs in a nest build on the ground floor. The eggs are oddly-shaped with a glossy, colorful blue shell. The male Solitairy tinamou incubates the eggs, and rear the young for a short period of time before they become independent.

     The Solitairy tinamou has become recently a symbol of conservation in the Misiones province of Argentina, with the main nature trail of Iguazu National Park named in its honour.