They inhabit scrubland, grassland and open woodland in western South America, particularly in the Andes.

The plumage is mostly grey-brown with intricate black, white and buff markings.

A seventh species, Kalinowski's tinamou, Nothoprocta kalinowskii, is sometimes recognized but is more likely to be a junior synonym of Nothoprocta ornata branickii, a subspecies of the ornate tinamou.

[3] Nothoprocta comes from two Ancient Greek words: nothos meaning 'spurious, counterfeit', and prōktos 'anus'.

This combination of words probably has to do with the tail being small and covered with body feathers, therefore looking fake.