Dark-backed Wood-quail vs Nahan's Partridge
Odontophorus melanonotus compared with Ptilopachus nahani
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Dark-backed Wood-quail | Nahan's Partridge |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Odontophorus melanonotus | Ptilopachus nahani |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 25.9 cm (10.2 in) | 26.8 cm (10.6 in) |
| Weight | 322.0 g (11.36 oz) | 278.5 g (9.82 oz) |
| Diet | Forages on forest floor for seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits in Pacific slope forests of … | Forages in Ugandan and Congolese rainforest understorey for invertebrates and seeds. Little-studied; diet poorly documented. |
| Clutch Size | -- | 4 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Dark-backed Wood-quail
Resonant, low-pitched 'pow-POW-ow' duet song; second note highest, third trailing off. Usually delivered at dawn. Flushes with explosive wing clatter and sharp alarm chips.
Nahan's Partridge
Produces a soft, repeated whistled call and quiet clucking series. Calls are poorly documented; this Vulnerable forest partridge is secretive on Uganda's forest floor.
Geographic Range & Migration
Dark-backed Wood-quail
Resident in the Pacific Andes of Ecuador and northern Peru at 600-1,800 m. Found in humid foothill and montane forest.
Nahan's Partridge
Resident in the rainforests of Uganda and adjacent Democratic Republic of Congo. Found in lowland and foothill rainforest. Poorly known.
Conservation Status
Dark-backed Wood-quail
Nahan's Partridge
How to Tell Them Apart
Dark-backed Wood-quail
Dark blackish-brown on back and wings with fine buff streaking; throat and face rufous-buff; underparts paler rufous-brown with dark barring; bare reddish eye-ring; darker backed than most congeners.
Nahan's Partridge
Dark brown overall, finely barred and streaked buff; underparts paler brown with buff streaking; bare reddish eye-ring; tail short and rufous; sexes similar. Forest floor cryptic coloration.
About These Birds
Dark-backed Wood-quail
A medium-sized New World quail (~320 g) of family Odontophoridae, with a dark brown back and rufous underparts. Inhabits humid forest on both slopes of the Andes in western Ecuador and Colombia below 1,500 m elevation. Forages on the forest floor for seeds, invertebrates, and fallen fruits. Least Concern; found in Chocó and western Andean forests, relatively tolerant of some disturbance.
Nahan's Partridge
A small partridge (~280 g) of family Odontophoridae, dark reddish-brown with black barring. Endemic to lowland primary rainforest in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Highly terrestrial, foraging on the forest floor for seeds, berries, and invertebrates. Vulnerable; requires intact primary forest and is threatened by widespread logging and agricultural conversion in Central Africa.