Venezuelan Wood-quail vs Mountain Quail
Odontophorus columbianus compared with Oreortyx pictus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Venezuelan Wood-quail | Mountain Quail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Odontophorus columbianus | Oreortyx pictus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Near Threatened | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 27.5 cm (10.8 in) | 26.8 cm (10.6 in) |
| Weight | 339.5 g (11.98 oz) | 237.83333333333334 g (8.39 oz) |
| Diet | Forages on forest floor in Colombian Andes for seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits. Scratches leaf … | Eats seeds, berries, and leaves in chaparral and coniferous mountain forests. Also takes bulbs and … |
| Clutch Size | 6 | 6-16 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Venezuelan Wood-quail
Loud churring 'chu-WEE-chu' delivered as male-female duet; liquid and carrying. Alarm is a sharp staccato 'kik-kik'; covey contact maintained with low conversational murmuring.
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
Venezuelan Wood-quail
Endemic to the Andes of northern Venezuela in Yaracuy and Aragua at 1,000-2,200 m. Found in humid montane forest.
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
Venezuelan Wood-quail
Mountain Quail
How to Tell Them Apart
Venezuelan Wood-quail
Dark brown above with buff streaking; face and throat buff-white with fine dark scaling; bare reddish eye-ring; breast rufous-brown finely barred; flanks dark brown; similar to Marbled Wood-quail.
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
Venezuelan Wood-quail
A medium-sized New World quail (~340 g) of family Odontophoridae, with brownish-rufous plumage. Endemic to the coastal mountain range of northern Venezuela. Inhabits humid montane and cloud forests at moderate elevations. Forages on the forest floor for seeds and invertebrates. Near Threatened due to restricted range and ongoing deforestation in the Venezuelan coastal cordillera.
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.