A large ground-dwelling bird of tropical lowland forest. It is hard to see but known for a haunting double whistle at dawn and dusk.
It has a rounded body with almost no visible tail, warm brown upperparts, grey underparts, and grey legs.
Great Tinamous feed on fruit, seeds and small animals on rainforest floors. Their brown plumage contrasts with glossy turquoise eggs.
An optical study included three captive Great Tinamou eggs. Their very smooth outer cuticle produced gloss; removing it eliminated the sheen while retaining the underlying colour.
Males incubate and rear the chicks. Birds forage on the ground and may roost above it on branches at night.
IUCN Red List (conservation institution account) · Least Concern · Global
Hunting and forest loss are pressures. In a hunting-protected Costa Rican site, the species used primary and regenerating forests, supporting combined habitat restoration and hunting control.