Scaled Quail vs Ocellated Quail
Callipepla squamata comparé à Cyrtonyx ocellatus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribut | Scaled Quail | Ocellated Quail |
|---|---|---|
| Nom scientifique | Callipepla squamata | Cyrtonyx ocellatus |
| Ordre | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Famille | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Statut de conservation | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| Longueur | — | — |
| Envergure | 23,2 cm (9.1 in) | 24,1 cm (9.5 in) |
| Poids | 195,5 g (6.90 oz) | 200,0 g (7.05 oz) |
| Régime alimentaire | Feeds on seeds, leaves, and cacti in arid southwestern US scrubland. Takes invertebrates especially during … | Digs for bulbs, tubers, seeds, and invertebrates with stout bill in Central American pine-oak forest … |
| Taille de la couvée | 3-16 | -- |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Scaled Quail
Male gives a nasal, emphatic pay-COS call; coveys scatter with rapid, chattering clucks. The distinctive, nasal pay-COS call is the species' advertising call; carries across desert grassland.
Ocellated Quail
Mournful, slightly wavering whistle similar to Montezuma Quail but with 5–6 syllables; descending in pitch. Male calls from shaded scrub. Alarm is a sharp nasal clucking series.
Geographic Range & Migration
Scaled Quail
Resident in the semi-arid grasslands and desert scrub of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Found in arid and semi-arid plains.
Ocellated Quail
Resident in the highlands of Central America from Guatemala to Nicaragua at 600-2,000 m. Found in pine-oak and humid montane forest.
Statut de conservation
Scaled Quail
Ocellated Quail
How to Tell Them Apart
Scaled Quail
Bluish-grey overall with black-edged feathers creating prominent scaly pattern on breast and flanks; white-tipped crest fluffy and pale; back brownish-grey; sexes similar but female slightly duller.
Ocellated Quail
Male has complex black-and-white harlequin facial pattern; rufous-brown body with round white ocelli (eye-like spots) on flanks and wings; blue-grey crest. Female is mottled buff and brown, much plainer.
About These Birds
Scaled Quail
A medium-sized New World quail (~195 g) of family Odontophoridae, with scaly grey-brown plumage and a whitish cottontop crest. Inhabits semi-arid shrublands, grasslands, and desert scrub from the southwestern United States to central Mexico. Forages in coveys for seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern; well adapted to arid environments, commonly hunted for sport.
Ocellated Quail
A small New World quail (~200 g) of family Odontophoridae, with ocellated (eye-spot) patterning on the upperparts. Inhabits pine-oak forests and adjacent grasslands in highland Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Forages for seeds and invertebrates. Vulnerable; restricted range, rare throughout its distribution, and threatened by habitat degradation from logging and overgrazing.