Montezuma Quail vs Black-breasted Wood-quail
Cyrtonyx montezumae compared with Odontophorus leucolaemus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Montezuma Quail | Black-breasted Wood-quail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cyrtonyx montezumae | Odontophorus leucolaemus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 24.0 cm (9.4 in) | 25.3 cm (10.0 in) |
| Weight | 185.5 g (6.54 oz) | 293.6666666666667 g (10.36 oz) |
| Diet | Omnivorous; digs for bulbs, tubers, seeds, and invertebrates with its stout bill in Mexican pine-oak … | Eats seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits on forest floor in Costa Rican and Panamanian lowland … |
| Clutch Size | 2-15 | 5 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Montezuma Quail
Eerie, descending wavering whistle 'wheeeoo' given by male from grass; ghostly and ventriloquial. Alarm is a low nasal 'wee-wee'; flushed birds produce loud burst of wing beats.
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
Montezuma Quail
Resident in the mountains of Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas at 1,400-3,000 m. Found in oak and pine-oak woodland.
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
Montezuma Quail
Black-breasted Wood-quail
How to Tell Them Apart
Montezuma Quail
Male has harlequin black-and-white face with bold white stripes and spots; chestnut-brown body with white spots on flanks; blue-grey crest; female cryptically mottled brown with faint facial pattern.
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
Montezuma Quail
A small rotund New World quail (~185 g) of family Odontophoridae, males with a harlequin-patterned black and white face. Inhabits pine-oak and grassland habitats in montane areas from Arizona and Texas to Honduras. Forages by digging bulbs and tubers with strong curved claws. Least Concern; cryptic and rarely seen; populations declining with overgrazing of native bunchgrass.
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.