Scaled Quail vs Tawny-faced Quail
Callipepla squamata compared with Rhynchortyx cinctus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Scaled Quail | Tawny-faced Quail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Callipepla squamata | Rhynchortyx cinctus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Near Threatened |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 23.2 cm (9.1 in) | 22.0 cm (8.7 in) |
| Weight | 195.5 g (6.90 oz) | 139.66666666666666 g (4.93 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds on seeds, leaves, and cacti in arid southwestern US scrubland. Takes invertebrates especially during … | Forages on floor of Central American and Colombian rainforests for seeds and invertebrates. Scratches leaf … |
| Clutch Size | 3-16 | -- |
| 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.
Tawny-faced Quail
Soft, plaintive two-note whistle 'pee-woo' uttered from dense undergrowth; rarely recorded and quiet. Alarm is a barely audible sharp 'pip'; flock contact maintained with muffled clucks.
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.
Tawny-faced Quail
Resident from Mexico south through Central America to Ecuador and Venezuela. Found in lowland and foothill forest.
Conservation Status
Scaled Quail
Tawny-faced 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.
Tawny-faced Quail
Male has tawny-orange face and throat; grey breast with rufous flanks; brown back streaked black. Female has rufous-brown face, buff supercilium, and brown streaked upperparts; both have strong colour contrast.
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.
Tawny-faced Quail
A small New World quail (~140 g) of family Odontophoridae, with tawny-orange facial coloring and cinnamón-barred flanks. Inhabits humid lowland and foothill forests from Honduras to Ecuador and Venezuela. Forages on the forest floor for seeds and small invertebrates. Near Threatened; shy and little-studied, dependent on intact forest but experiencing habitat loss throughout its Central and South American range.