Scaled Quail vs Spot-winged Wood-quail
Callipepla squamata compared with Odontophorus capueira
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Scaled Quail | Spot-winged Wood-quail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Callipepla squamata | Odontophorus capueira |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 23.2 cm (9.1 in) | 29.4 cm (11.6 in) |
| Weight | 195.5 g (6.90 oz) | 426.5 g (15.04 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds on seeds, leaves, and cacti in arid southwestern US scrubland. Takes invertebrates especially during … | Eats seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits on floor of Brazilian Atlantic forest. Scratches leaf litter … |
| Clutch Size | 3-16 | 3-5 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Scaled Quail
Male gives a nasal, emphatic pay-COS call; coveys scatter with rapid, chattering clucks. The distinctive, nasal pay-COS call is the species' advertising call; carries across desert grassland.
Spot-winged Wood-quail
Deep, booming 'whup-WHUP-whup' duet calls resonating through Atlantic forest undergrowth. Contact calls are low, guttural clucks; alarm produces explosive 'puk' notes.
Geographic Range & Migration
Scaled Quail
Resident in the semi-arid grasslands and desert scrub of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Found in arid and semi-arid plains.
Spot-winged Wood-quail
Resident in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil from Bahia south to Rio Grande do Sul. Found in dense humid forest.
Conservation Status
Scaled Quail
Spot-winged Wood-quail
How to Tell Them Apart
Scaled Quail
Bluish-grey overall with black-edged feathers creating prominent scaly pattern on breast and flanks; white-tipped crest fluffy and pale; back brownish-grey; sexes similar but female slightly duller.
Spot-winged Wood-quail
Dark brown overall with fine buff streaking; wings distinctively spotted white on coverts; bare orange-red eye-ring; underparts paler brown with buff streaking; short crest brown.
About These Birds
Scaled Quail
A medium-sized New World quail (~195 g) of family Odontophoridae, with scaly grey-brown plumage and a whitish cottontop crest. Inhabits semi-arid shrublands, grasslands, and desert scrub from the southwestern United States to central Mexico. Forages in coveys for seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern; well adapted to arid environments, commonly hunted for sport.
Spot-winged Wood-quail
A medium-sized New World quail (~425 g) of family Odontophoridae, with spotted brown plumage and an orange eye ring. Inhabits Atlantic Forest, cerrado woodland, and interior humid forests of eastern South America in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. Forages on the forest floor for seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern; dependent on forest cover but broadly distributed in southeastern Brazil.