Spotted wood-quail

Odontophorus guttatus

Photo by Micah Riegner (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
spotted wood-quail (en); uru-malhado (pt); tocro tacheté (fr); corcovado goteado (es); tropfenwachtel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Galliformes
Family Odontophoridae

Range:
This species is found in southern Mexico, in Veracruz and Chiapas, and also in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and western Panama.

Size:
These birds are 23-26,5 cm and weigh 280-300 g.

Habitat:
The spotted wood-quail is mostly found in tropical and sub-tropical rainforests, but also in secondary forests, at altitudes of 100-3.000 m.

Diet:
They forage on the ground, taking fallen fruits, seeds, buds, tubers and also the larvae and pupae of mosquitoes and beetles.

Breeding:
Spotted wood-quails breed in May-August. They nest on the ground and the female lays 4 white or creamy-white eggs with brown spots, which are incubated for about 17 days. There is no information regarding the fledgling period.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and a global population estimated at 20.000-50.000 individuals. Despite its ability to tolerate some habitat degradation, this species is declining owing to habitat loss and, possibly, unsustainable hunting levels, but it is not considered threatened at present.

Montezuma quail

Cyrtonyx montezumae

Photo by Simon Valdez (Flickr)

Common name:
Montezuma quail (en); codorniz-de-Montezuma (pt); colin arlequin (fr); colín de Moctezuma (es); Montezumawachtel (de)

Taxonomy:
OrderGalliformes
Family Odontophoridae

Range:
This species is found across Mexico and marginally into the southern United States in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Size:
These birds are 21-23 cm long and weigh 175-210 g.

Habitat:
The Montezuma quail is found in oak savannas, pine-oak woodlands, scrublands and mixed conifer woodlands, at altitudes of 1.000-3.000 m.

Diet:
They forage on the ground, digging for bulbs or succulent forbs and sedges, and picking seeds, acorns, fruits and some insects. The bulbs of Cyperus sp. are particularly important during winter.

Breeding:
Montezuma quails breed in June-August. They nest on the ground, in a structure woven with grass placed under vegetation cover. There the female lays 6-12 chalky white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 25-26 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and are able to feed themselves, but follow the parents who show them where to find food. The chicks start flying 10 days after hatching and become independent about 1 week later.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 1,5 million individuals. The Montezuma quail has had stable population trends over the last 40 years so it is not threatened at present.

Crested bobwhite

Colinus cristatus

Photo by Karla León (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
crested bobwhite (en); uru-do-campo (pt); colin huppé (fr); codorniz crestada (es); haubenwachtel (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Galliformes
Family Odontophoridae


Range:
This species is found from Costa Rica to western Colombia and northern Brazil. They are also found on the island of Aruba in the Netherlands Antilles.


Size:
These birds are 18-24 cm long and weigh 115-155 g.


Habitat:
Crested bobwhites are mostly found in tall grasslands with a few scattered trees, in dry scrublands or dry savannas. They can also be found along forest edges, in pastures and in shade coffee plantations. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 3.200 m.


Diet:
They mostly eat the seeds of various plants, namely Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae, but also eat berries other vegetable matter and some invertebrates like ants and termites.


Breeding:
The crested bobwhite breeds in February-October. The nest is built on the ground in a cavity lined with grass stems, where the female lays 8-16 cream-coloured eggs with brown spots. She mostly incubates the eggs alone for 21-23 days and the chicks leave the nest soon after hatching, after which they follow the parents until fledging.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 1 million individuals. The population may be increasing as it benefits from clear-cutting of forests and the development of agriculture.