Marbled Wood-quail vs Mountain Quail
Odontophorus gujanensis compared with Oreortyx pictus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Marbled Wood-quail | Mountain Quail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Odontophorus gujanensis | Oreortyx pictus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 28.7 cm (11.3 in) | 26.8 cm (10.6 in) |
| Weight | 318.25 g (11.23 oz) | 237.83333333333334 g (8.39 oz) |
| Diet | Forages in Amazonian and Guianan forest floor 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 | 4 | 6-16 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Marbled Wood-quail
Duetting pairs produce loud, resonant 'co-PO-co' calls from forest floor; far-carrying and owl-like in quality. Dawn chorus pairs call in rapid antiphonal sequence.
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
Marbled Wood-quail
Resident from Panama and Venezuela south to Bolivia and Amazonian Brazil. Found in lowland and foothill rainforest and forest edges.
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
Marbled Wood-quail
Mountain Quail
How to Tell Them Apart
Marbled Wood-quail
Rich rufous-brown above with intricate black-and-buff marbling; rufous-orange bare eye-ring; underparts buffy-brown with fine black barring; short spiny crest; sexes similar.
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
Marbled Wood-quail
A medium-sized New World quail (~320 g) of family Odontophoridae, with intricately marbled brown plumage and a small crest. Inhabits humid lowland and foothill forests across northern and central South America from Colombia to Brazil. Forages on the forest floor in pairs or small groups for seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern; widespread in Amazonian and Guianan forests.
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.