The grey-legged tinamou (Crypturellus duidae ), alternatively, the gray-legged tinamou, is a small ground-dwelling bird endemic to the neotropics.
The grey-legged tinamou is a rarely seen bird due to its small size and discreet appearance.
The grey-legged tinamou is a small ground-dwelling bird and a weak flyer. The grey-legged tinamou has a rusty coloured neck and upper back with a tinge of grey on its upper breast. The wings and the body of the tinamou are a scally brownish black. The grey-legged tinamou has a pronounced black eye. they vary from 28-31 cm in height. Males have a prominent dark crown of feathers on the top of the head, whereas females have a fully rusty coloured head. Females have markings on their backs and wings. The legs are a slate grey coloured which is described in the name of the species.
The grey-legged tinamou can be misidentified with the variegated tinamou. However, the variegated tinamou has a completely grey head and bolder barring on the wings and back.
Grey-legged tinamous are native to South America, including Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Guyana, Venezuela, and northern Brazil. However, its distribution could be even further as the population is sparsely distributed and found in fragmented landscape. It is found in dry shrubland up to 500 m (1,600 ft) altitude. As a poor soil specialist, the grey-legged tinamous are commonly found in Amazonian white-sand forests. These forests are characterized by low-hanging canopies and dense foliage, allowing the grey-legged tinamous to remain inconspicuous. They have also been documented in peatland habitats.
The grey-legged tinamou primarily consumes fruits and other plant matter. They feed primarily on low hanging or fallen fruit. Like all tinamous they forage on the ground and in low bushes. They have also been documented to consume insects and other ground-dwelling invertebrates.
Although there is no available information on the reproduction of the grey-legged tinamou, most tinamous species are ground nesters, typically choosing to nest in the depressions of the buttress roots of trees.
In 2020 the IUCN classified the grey-legged tinamou as Least Concern, although there were calls to reclassified the species due to global population declines in the last two years in certain parts of their range. This is primarily due to increased threat from deforestation. The species is also threatened by hunting practices in the area. Indeed the regions the grey-legged tinamou is most commonly found is facing significant anthropogenic changes. although due to their large fragmented range there was yet to be detailed survey of their populations across their entire range.
