The spotted nothura is approximately 24 to 25.5 cm (9.4–10.0 in) in length. The upper parts are brown with streaked buff. The under parts are buff streaked with black and brown on the breast, with barring to the flanks. Its crown is black streaked with buff and the throat is white. The overall hue in colour varies greatly over its range; in part caused by the differences in soil at the specific localities. It and the closely related Chaco nothura, N. chacoensis, are the only nothuras with barring to both webs of the primaries. The legs are dull yellowish-grey or brown.
It occurs in eastern and southern Brazil (excluding the Mata Atlântica and planalto uplands along the coast), Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.
It lives in dry savanna habitat up to 2,300 m (7,500 ft), and temperate grassland, as well as pasture land.
The call of the spotted nothura is a series of brief high-pitched notes.
The spotted nothura eats plants, typically seeds, and animal matter. In Argentina they seem to eat more of the animal matter then they do in other locations.
This species can reproduce rapidly, as the female is mature within 2 months and can have five to six broods per year. The male does not mature as fast. The male will incubate the eggs and raise the chicks. Like most tinamous, its eggs have a spectacular glossy porcelain-like shell. This is colored a rich maroon or chocolate brown in this species. The clutch contains 4-6 eggs.
