Spotted Nothura Nothura maculosa Scientific name definitions

Spotted Nothura is a grassland tinamou with a large range that extends from central Argentina north through Uruguay and Paraguay to northeastern Brazil. Overall this small tinamou is cryptically patterned with brown and black mottling on a pale brownish base color, which provides camouflage in terrestrial grassland situations. Nine subspecies of Spotted Nothura are recognized, which may form a cline from smaller, darker birds in the north to larger, paler birds in the south; one of these subspecies, chacoensis, formerly was recognized as a separate species (Chaco Nothura), but closer examination revealed that it is scarcely different in voice or plumage from other subspecies of Spotted Nothura.