Ocellated Quail vs Nahan's Partridge
Cyrtonyx ocellatus compared with Ptilopachus nahani
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Ocellated Quail | Nahan's Partridge |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cyrtonyx ocellatus | Ptilopachus nahani |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 24.1 cm (9.5 in) | 26.8 cm (10.6 in) |
| Weight | 200.0 g (7.05 oz) | 278.5 g (9.82 oz) |
| Diet | Digs for bulbs, tubers, seeds, and invertebrates with stout bill in Central American pine-oak forest … | Forages in Ugandan and Congolese rainforest understorey for invertebrates and seeds. Little-studied; diet poorly documented. |
| Clutch Size | -- | 4 |
| 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.
Nahan's Partridge
Produces a soft, repeated whistled call and quiet clucking series. Calls are poorly documented; this Vulnerable forest partridge is secretive on Uganda's forest floor.
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.
Nahan's Partridge
Resident in the rainforests of Uganda and adjacent Democratic Republic of Congo. Found in lowland and foothill rainforest. Poorly known.
Conservation Status
Ocellated Quail
Nahan's Partridge
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.
Nahan's Partridge
Dark brown overall, finely barred and streaked buff; underparts paler brown with buff streaking; bare reddish eye-ring; tail short and rufous; sexes similar. Forest floor cryptic coloration.
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.
Nahan's Partridge
A small partridge (~280 g) of family Odontophoridae, dark reddish-brown with black barring. Endemic to lowland primary rainforest in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Highly terrestrial, foraging on the forest floor for seeds, berries, and invertebrates. Vulnerable; requires intact primary forest and is threatened by widespread logging and agricultural conversion in Central Africa.