Gambel's quail

Callipepla gambelii

Photo by John Mosesso (Wikipedia)

Common name:
Gambel's quail (en); colim-de-elmo (pt); colin de Gambel (fr); colín de Gambel (es); helmwachtel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Galliformes
Family Odontophoridae

Range:
This species is found in the western United States and north-western Mexico, from southern Nevada and Utah, through Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas, and into Sonora and Sinaloa along the eastern coast of the Gulf of California.

Size:
These birds are 24-28 cm long and have a wingspan of 34-36 cm. They weigh 160-210 g.

Habitat:
The Gambel's quail is found in hot deserts, mainly in areas dominated my mesquite and other thorny scrubs. They also use arable land to a lesser extent. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.600 m.

Diet:
They mainly feed on a variety of seeds and leaves, as well and cacti fruits and berries. During spring and summer they supplement this herbivorous diet with a few insects.

Breeding:
Gambel's quails are considered monogamous, although females can sometimes live the young with the male to produce another brood with a new father. They breed in April-August and nest in a shallow bowl made of twigs, grass stems and leaves, and lined with feathers. The nest is usually placed on the ground, often hidden under a scrub or rock, but can sometimes be placed on a tree up to 10 m above the ground. The female lays 10-12 dull white eggs with brown spots, which she mainly incubates alone for 21-23 days. The chicks are able to run around and feed themselves within hours of hatching, but will remain with the parents for some time.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and the global population is estimated to be above 1 million individuals. The populations had a stable trend over the last 4 decades.

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sometimes a mature female will leave young with the male and seek another brood with a new father

sometimes a mature female will leave young with the male and seek another brood with a new father

Bearded wood-partridge

Dendrortyx barbatus

(Photo from Polski Kurnik)

Common name:
bearded wood-partridge (en); codorniz-de-Veracruz (pt); colin barbu (fr); colín barbudo (es); bartwachtel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Galliformes
Family Odontophoridae

Range:
This species is endemic to Mexico, being confined to a few areas in Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre de Oaxaca, north and east of Mexico City.

Size:
These birds are 22-36 cm long and weigh 400-460 g.

Habitat:
The bearded wood-partridge is mostly found in moist, mountain evergreen forests and adjacent pine-oak forests with dense understorey, also using forest edges, second growths and shade coffee plantations. They are present at altitudes of 900-3.100 m.

Diet:
They feed on fruits, nuts, berries and other plant matter, as well as some small invertebrates.

Breeding:
Bearded wood-partridges breed in February-June. They are probably monogamous and nest in a deep depression on the ground, lined with palm leaves, where the female lays 4-8 dull white eggs which are incubated for 28-32 days. The chicks are precocial, leaving the nest soon after hatching, and become able to fly at 7-14 days of age. They reach sexual maturity at 1-2 years of age.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a relatively small and fragmented breeding range. The global population is estimated at 3.600 individuals and believed to be declining rapidly due to habitat loss and degradation. With the exception of the remote Sierra Gorda, most of the bearded wood-partridge range in affected by habitat destruction and fragmentation as a result of logging, clearance for agriculture, road-building, tourist developments, intensive urbanization, sheep-ranching and grazing. Conversion from shade to sun coffee is a serious threat to some areas, while the fragmented populations are susceptible to subsistence hunting, predators, genetic retrogression and further human encroachment. Conservation action underway are limited to environmental education, through the development of posters and roadway signs.

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.

Mountain quail

Oreortyx pictus

Common name:

mountain quail (en); codorniz-da-montanha (pt); colin des montagne (fr); codorniz picta (es); bergwachtel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Galliformes

Family Odontophoridae

Range:

This species is found along the Pacific coast of North America, from Oregon to California, in the United States, and down to Baja California in Mexico.

Size:

Mountain quails are 26-28 cm long and have a wingspan of 35-40 cm. They weigh 190-260 g.

Habitat:

They are typically found in scrub-dominated communities such as chaparral or desert scrub, at altitudes of 700-3000 m. In coastal areas of northern California they may also occur near sea level. This species is also found in mixed conifer-hardwood, redwood, pine, white fir, red fir, pinyon-juniper, and hardwood forests. It may also occur in aspen stands associated with sagebrush, and in riparian and oak woodlands.

Diet:

Mountain quails are primarily herbivorous, eating acorns, pine nuts, fruits and seeds of shrubs (namely Ceanothus, Arctostaphylos, Toxicodendron radicans), bulbs, seeds and leaves of weeds, forbs, and legumes. Invertebrates form a marginal part of their diet.

Breeding:

They breed in March-June. The nest is placed on the ground, usually concealed by the surrounding vegetation and it is usually quite close to water. The females lay 6-14 eggs which are incubated by both parents for 24-25 days. The chicks leave the nest within hours of hatching and are cared for by the parents who direct them to food instead of feeding it to them. The chicks seem to eat more insects than adults and remain together with their parents in a family group until the nest breeding season.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a large breeding range and a global population of 160.000 individuals. The species suffered a large decline in the early 1900s, but hunting bans allowed the population to stabilize, with no apparent change in numbers in the last 4 decades. Although habitat destruction and fragmentation due to agricultural and construction developments may pose some threats, the species is not considered threatened at present.