Tacarcuna Wood-quail vs Mountain Quail
Odontophorus dialeucos compared with Oreortyx pictus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Tacarcuna Wood-quail | Mountain Quail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Odontophorus dialeucos | Oreortyx pictus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 25.2 cm (9.9 in) | 26.8 cm (10.6 in) |
| Weight | 273.5 g (9.65 oz) | 237.83333333333334 g (8.39 oz) |
| Diet | Forages on forest floor in Panama and Colombia for seeds and invertebrates. Critically endangered; diet … | Eats seeds, berries, and leaves in chaparral and coniferous mountain forests. Also takes bulbs and … |
| Clutch Size | -- | 6-16 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Tacarcuna Wood-quail
Series of hollow, resonant 'qua-WHI-co' notes in alternating duet; rarely recorded. Song slightly higher pitched than related species. Alarm is a muted explosive chip.
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
Tacarcuna Wood-quail
Endemic to the Tacarcuna massif on the Panama-Colombia border at 900-1,700 m. Found in humid montane forest. Poorly known.
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
Tacarcuna Wood-quail
Mountain Quail
How to Tell Them Apart
Tacarcuna Wood-quail
Dark brown above, finely streaked buff; throat and chest white contrasting with dark flanks and back; bare reddish eye-ring; white on throat is notably clean and extensive compared to related …
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
Tacarcuna Wood-quail
A medium-sized New World quail (~275 g) of family Odontophoridae, with a distinctive pale supercilium against dark plumage. Endemic to the Tacarcuna massif on the Panama-Colombia border. Inhabits humid montane forest at elevations above 1,000 m. Forages on the forest floor for seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern; very restricted range but protected by remote mountainous terrain.
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.