Sounds and Vocal Behavior

The song of Spotted Nothura is a series of whistles that accelerates towards the end; this is different from the song of the very similar Darwin's Nothura (Nothura darwinii), which maintains a steady pace.

For a representative audio recording with sonogram, see audio

Spotted Nothuras sing throughout the day, although in Argentina they sing most frequently from 04:00 to 08:00, and again from 16:00 until almost sunset, and the song may be repeated at intervals of 20 to 120 seconds (Bump and Bump 1969). Birds sin throughout the year, although more frequently and over a larger part of the day in spring and early summer (Bump and Bump 1969).

Another vocalization, perhaps a disturbance call, is a series of "fairly sharp, high pitched quit, quit, quit notes repeated at intervals of ½ to 1 second for 10 to 30 seconds or until the intruder ceased pursuit" (Bump and Bump 1969).

Additional audio recordings of vocalizations of Spotted Nothura can be heard at Macaulay Library, at xeno-canto, at Internet Bird Collection, and at the Florida Museum of Natural History Bird Collection.

The wings of Spotted Nothura produce a whirring sound when the nothura is flushed (Bump and Bump 1969).