Starred Wood-quail vs Mountain Quail
Odontophorus stellatus compared with Oreortyx pictus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Starred Wood-quail | Mountain Quail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Odontophorus stellatus | Oreortyx pictus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 26.8 cm (10.6 in) | 26.8 cm (10.6 in) |
| Weight | 336.5 g (11.87 oz) | 237.83333333333334 g (8.39 oz) |
| Diet | Eats seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits on Amazonian forest floor. Forages in pairs or small … | 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
Starred Wood-quail
Loud, melodic 'ko-WEE-ko' duet ringing through Amazonian rainforest; middle note rising sharply. Contact between group members is a series of low, rolling cluck-like syllables.
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
Starred Wood-quail
Resident in the Amazon Basin of Peru, Colombia, and Brazil. Found in lowland terra firme 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
Starred Wood-quail
Mountain Quail
How to Tell Them Apart
Starred Wood-quail
Rich brown above; underparts dark brown with bold round white spots scattered across breast and flanks resembling stars; bare reddish eye-ring; white starring on underparts is unique and distinctive.
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
Starred Wood-quail
A medium-sized New World quail (~335 g) of family Odontophoridae, named for white star-like spots on the breast. Inhabits humid lowland forests in the western Amazon basin in Peru, Ecuador, and northern Bolivia. Forages on the forest floor for seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern; distributed across extensive undisturbed Amazonian and Andean foothill forests in the western Amazon.
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.