Bearded Wood-partridge vs Mountain Quail
Dendrortyx barbatus compared with Oreortyx pictus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Bearded Wood-partridge | Mountain Quail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Dendrortyx barbatus | Oreortyx pictus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 30.1 cm (11.9 in) | 26.8 cm (10.6 in) |
| Weight | 407.5 g (14.37 oz) | 237.83333333333334 g (8.39 oz) |
| Diet | Forages in Mexican cloud forests for seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits. Critically endangered; diet poorly … | Eats seeds, berries, and leaves in chaparral and coniferous mountain forests. Also takes bulbs and … |
| Clutch Size | 4-8 | 6-16 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Bearded Wood-partridge
Emits a loud, resonant hooting call similar to other Dendrortyx wood-partridges. The owl-like hooting carries through cloud forest; calls are poorly differentiated from Long-tailed.
Mountain Quail
Male produces a loud, high, clear queee-ark call; pairs respond with rhythmic, whistled duets. The far-carrying, piping call is one of the most distinctive mountain bird sounds of western North …
Geographic Range & Migration
Bearded Wood-partridge
Endemic to cloud forest in the Sierra de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico, and adjacent Veracruz at 1,500-2,500 m. Rarely observed.
Mountain Quail
Resident in the coastal ranges and Sierra Nevada of California, Oregon, and Washington at 500-3,000 m. Found in montane chaparral and brush.
Conservation Status
Bearded Wood-partridge
Mountain Quail
How to Tell Them Apart
Bearded Wood-partridge
Rufous-brown above; grey head with white supercilium; distinct black-and-white beard streaks on lower throat and chin; breast streaked black and white; flanks rufous-brown; belly pale buff.
Mountain Quail
Blue-grey breast and flanks boldly barred chestnut-and-white; olive-brown back; chestnut throat bordered white; long straight black plume from crown; male and female similar.
About These Birds
Bearded Wood-partridge
A medium-sized New World quail (~405 g) of family Odontophoridae, with a distinct facial streak resembling a beard. Endemic to cloud forest in a restricted area of the Sierra Madre Oriental of eastern Mexico. Forages on the ground for seeds and invertebrates. Vulnerable; critically restricted range in highly fragmented Mexican highland forests, with ongoing habitat loss from agricultural expansion.
Mountain Quail
A medium-sized New World quail (~240 g) of family Odontophoridae, with a long straight head plume and chestnut flanks barred in white. Inhabits chaparral, brushy mountain slopes, and pine-oak forest in the Pacific mountain ranges of western North America. Forages for seeds, bulbs, and berries. Least Concern; the largest North American quail species, exhibiting altitudinal migration.