Crested Bobwhite vs Black-breasted Wood-quail
Colinus cristatus compared with Odontophorus leucolaemus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Crested Bobwhite | Black-breasted Wood-quail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Colinus cristatus | Odontophorus leucolaemus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 20.0 cm (7.9 in) | 25.3 cm (10.0 in) |
| Weight | 132.5 g (4.67 oz) | 293.6666666666667 g (10.36 oz) |
| Diet | Omnivorous; eats seeds, berries, and insects in South American grasslands, scrub, and forest edges. Forages … | Eats seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits on forest floor in Costa Rican and Panamanian lowland … |
| Clutch Size | 8-15 | 5 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Crested Bobwhite
Whistled ascending 'whiit-wheee' repeated steadily; crest raised during calling bouts. Contact between covey members is a series of low, liquid clucking notes with nasal quality.
Black-breasted Wood-quail
Resonant 'cor-WE-co' duet calls; male initiates, female responds immediately. Very loud for size, audible through dense Panamanian forest. Alarm is rapid, harsh clucking.
Geographic Range & Migration
Crested Bobwhite
Resident from Panama south through Colombia and Venezuela to the Guianas. Found in open grassland, savanna, and brushy areas.
Black-breasted Wood-quail
Resident in the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama at 1,000-2,500 m. Found in humid cloud forest.
Conservation Status
Crested Bobwhite
Black-breasted Wood-quail
How to Tell Them Apart
Crested Bobwhite
Male has bushy rufous crest, white supercilium, black-streaked white face and throat, rufous-brown back, and buff underparts spotted black. Female is buff-brown with streaked body and smaller crest.
Black-breasted Wood-quail
Dark brown above; throat white; breast and belly jet black contrasting with white throat; bare reddish eye-ring; flanks dark brown; black breast against white throat creates bold bicoloured underpart pattern.
About These Birds
Crested Bobwhite
A small New World quail (~130 g) of family Odontophoridae, males with a shaggy brown-white crest. Inhabits open savanna, grassland, scrubland, and agricultural areas in Central America and northern South America. Forages in coveys for seeds and invertebrates on the ground. Least Concern; one of the most widespread bobwhite species, tolerant of human-modified landscapes.
Black-breasted Wood-quail
A medium-sized New World quail (~295 g) of family Odontophoridae, with contrasting black breast and white facial markings. Inhabits humid lowland and foothill forests in Costa Rica and Panama. Forages secretively on the forest floor in pairs or small groups for seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern; found in intact forest of Central America's Pacific and Caribbean slopes.