Black-breasted Wood-quail vs Mountain Quail
Odontophorus leucolaemus compared with Oreortyx pictus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Black-breasted Wood-quail | Mountain Quail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Odontophorus leucolaemus | Oreortyx pictus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 25.3 cm (10.0 in) | 26.8 cm (10.6 in) |
| Weight | 293.6666666666667 g (10.36 oz) | 237.83333333333334 g (8.39 oz) |
| Diet | Eats seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits on forest floor in Costa Rican and Panamanian lowland … | Eats seeds, berries, and leaves in chaparral and coniferous mountain forests. Also takes bulbs and … |
| Clutch Size | 5 | 6-16 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Black-breasted Wood-quail
Resonant 'cor-WE-co' duet calls; male initiates, female responds immediately. Very loud for size, audible through dense Panamanian forest. Alarm is rapid, harsh clucking.
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
Black-breasted Wood-quail
Resident in the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama at 1,000-2,500 m. Found in humid cloud 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
Black-breasted Wood-quail
Mountain Quail
How to Tell Them Apart
Black-breasted Wood-quail
Dark brown above; throat white; breast and belly jet black contrasting with white throat; bare reddish eye-ring; flanks dark brown; black breast against white throat creates bold bicoloured underpart pattern.
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
Black-breasted Wood-quail
A medium-sized New World quail (~295 g) of family Odontophoridae, with contrasting black breast and white facial markings. Inhabits humid lowland and foothill forests in Costa Rica and Panama. Forages secretively on the forest floor in pairs or small groups for seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern; found in intact forest of Central America's Pacific and Caribbean slopes.
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.