The Slaty-breasted Tinamou searches for fruits, seeds, and ants on the floor of wet forest. Its breast is dark gray, its throat is white, and females have bars on their wings.
The breast feathers are dark slaty gray, the head is blackish, and the throat is white. The back ranges from black to chestnut, and the legs from pink to bright red. Females have bars on their wings.
It moves alone along the forest floor, searching for fruits, seeds, ants, and termites. During breeding, the male alone incubates the eggs laid by the female.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.