Elegant Quail vs Banded Quail
Callipepla douglasii compared with Philortyx fasciatus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Elegant Quail | Banded Quail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Callipepla douglasii | Philortyx fasciatus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 22.6 cm (8.9 in) | 19.7 cm (7.8 in) |
| Weight | 182.16666666666666 g (6.43 oz) | 127.25 g (4.49 oz) |
| Diet | Eats seeds, berries, and plant material in Mexican tropical dry forests and thorn scrub. Also … | Eats seeds and small invertebrates in Mexican thorn scrub and dry grassland. Forages on ground … |
| Clutch Size | 8-20 | 3-7 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Elegant Quail
Male emits a high, clear whistle-coo; coveys call with rapid, chattering notes. Calls are melodious for a quail; the whistled male call carries across western Mexican thornscrub.
Banded Quail
High-pitched, whistled 'wit-wit-weee' repeated persistently from dense scrub. Covey contact calls are soft, rapid clucks; alarm produces sharp explosive chips.
Geographic Range & Migration
Elegant Quail
Endemic to the Pacific coast of Mexico from southern Sonora to Colima. Found in thorn scrub and tropical dry forest.
Banded Quail
Endemic to the Pacific slope of Mexico from Jalisco south to Guerrero and Oaxaca. Found in dry forest and thorn scrub.
Conservation Status
Elegant Quail
Banded Quail
How to Tell Them Apart
Elegant Quail
Male has chestnut-brown body with white-spotted flanks; grey breast; chestnut face with white spots; forward-curving reddish-brown plume. Female is duller brown with buff spotting and smaller crest.
Banded Quail
Heavily barred black and buff throughout, including crown; white supercilium; throat whitish; short rounded crest; belly barred buff and black; sexes similar. Distinctive fine barring on entire body.
About These Birds
Elegant Quail
A small New World quail (~180 g) of family Odontophoridae, males with a chestnut-and-white streaked head plume and spotted underparts. Endemic to the Pacific slope of western Mexico in Sonora and Sinaloa. Inhabits tropical dry forest, thorn scrub, and agricultural edges. Forages in groups for seeds and insects. Least Concern; restricted range but stable in Mexican dry forest habitats.
Banded Quail
A small New World quail (~125 g) of family Odontophoridae, with bold horizontal brown-and-white banding across the breast and flanks. Endemic to semi-arid scrublands, grasslands, and dry forests of the Balsas Depression in central Mexico. Forages in groups on the ground for seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern; a monotypic genus restricted to Mexico's western interior.