Forty-six species of tinamous inhabit the Americas with five calling Costa Rica home. Today we discuss the little tinamou, a secretive little bird that you’re more likely to hear than see. The little tinamou (Crypturellus soui) is known as the in Spanish, which is an adorable name.
Like all of the other tinamous in Costa Rica, you’re equally likely to hear it referred to as a , or in this case, because it’s so small. Little tinamous are, in fact, little. They’re the smallest of Costa Rica’s tinamous.
They’re about nine inches long and weigh around a half a pound. Their stout little bodies are uniformly brown, and their tails are nearly nonexistent. In summary, they could accurately be described as fat little brown birds.
Although they are the most widespread species of tinamou in the country, they are exceedingly difficult to see in person. They inhabit tangled, dense secondary growth vegetation, weedy agricultural areas, and thick forest edges in humid regions. Since those areas are terrible places to go for a walk, people rarely see them.
That doesn’t mean they go undetected. These little birds disclose their whereabouts with song. I’m a sucker for a good written description of birdsong and I found two good ones for the little tinamou.
Here’s the first, a ‘beautifully modulated, tremulous’ whistle. Or better yet, a ‘mellifluous crescendo, followed by a beautiful, long-drawn whistle, full yet tenuous, which neither rises nor falls in pitch.’ That se.