Ocellated Quail vs Stripe-faced Wood-quail
Cyrtonyx ocellatus compared with Odontophorus balliviani
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Ocellated Quail | Stripe-faced Wood-quail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cyrtonyx ocellatus | Odontophorus balliviani |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 24.1 cm (9.5 in) | 28.4 cm (11.2 in) |
| Weight | 200.0 g (7.05 oz) | 317.5 g (11.20 oz) |
| Diet | Digs for bulbs, tubers, seeds, and invertebrates with stout bill in Central American pine-oak forest … | Forages on Andean forest floor for seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits in Bolivia and Peru. … |
| Clutch Size | -- | -- |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Ocellated Quail
Mournful, slightly wavering whistle similar to Montezuma Quail but with 5–6 syllables; descending in pitch. Male calls from shaded scrub. Alarm is a sharp nasal clucking series.
Stripe-faced Wood-quail
Hollow resonant 'koo-WA-koo' repeated in antiphonal pairs; slightly nasal quality. Found in Andean cloud forest; song carries far in montane valleys. Alarm a sharp clatter.
Geographic Range & Migration
Ocellated Quail
Resident in the highlands of Central America from Guatemala to Nicaragua at 600-2,000 m. Found in pine-oak and humid montane forest.
Stripe-faced Wood-quail
Resident in the east Andean foothills of Peru and Bolivia at 600-2,000 m. Found in humid foothill and montane forest.
Conservation Status
Ocellated Quail
Stripe-faced Wood-quail
How to Tell Them Apart
Ocellated Quail
Male has complex black-and-white harlequin facial pattern; rufous-brown body with round white ocelli (eye-like spots) on flanks and wings; blue-grey crest. Female is mottled buff and brown, much plainer.
Stripe-faced Wood-quail
Dark brown above; face boldly striped with white supercilium and black eye-stripe creating distinct face pattern; throat whitish; breast buffy-brown barred dark; bare reddish eye-ring.
About These Birds
Ocellated Quail
A small New World quail (~200 g) of family Odontophoridae, with ocellated (eye-spot) patterning on the upperparts. Inhabits pine-oak forests and adjacent grasslands in highland Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Forages for seeds and invertebrates. Vulnerable; restricted range, rare throughout its distribution, and threatened by habitat degradation from logging and overgrazing.
Stripe-faced Wood-quail
A medium-sized New World quail (~315 g) of family Odontophoridae, with bold facial striping. Inhabits humid montane forests on the eastern Andean slopes of Peru and Bolivia at 1,000–2,500 m elevation. Forages on the forest floor in pairs or small groups for seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern; restricted to Andean cloud forest but broadly distributed with stable populations in protected areas.