Montezuma Quail vs Banded Quail

Cyrtonyx montezumae comparé à Philortyx fasciatus

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Montezuma Quail Banded Quail
Nom scientifique Cyrtonyx montezumae Philortyx fasciatus
Ordre Galliformes Galliformes
Famille Odontophoridae Odontophoridae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Least Concern
Longueur
Envergure 24,0 cm (9.4 in) 19,7 cm (7.8 in)
Poids 185,5 g (6.54 oz) 127,25 g (4.49 oz)
Régime alimentaire Omnivorous; digs for bulbs, tubers, seeds, and invertebrates with its stout bill in Mexican pine-oak … Eats seeds and small invertebrates in Mexican thorn scrub and dry grassland. Forages on ground …
Taille de la couvée 2-15 3-7
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

Montezuma Quail only

Banded Quail only

Aucun(e)

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Song & Call Comparison

Montezuma Quail

Chant

Eerie, descending wavering whistle 'wheeeoo' given by male from grass; ghostly and ventriloquial. Alarm is a low nasal 'wee-wee'; flushed birds produce loud burst of wing beats.

Banded Quail

Chant

High-pitched, whistled 'wit-wit-weee' repeated persistently from dense scrub. Covey contact calls are soft, rapid clucks; alarm produces sharp explosive chips.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Montezuma Quail

Resident in the mountains of Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas at 1,400-3,000 m. Found in oak and pine-oak woodland.

Banded Quail

Endemic to the Pacific slope of Mexico from Jalisco south to Guerrero and Oaxaca. Found in dry forest and thorn scrub.

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Statut de conservation

Least Concern

Montezuma Quail

Least Concern

Banded Quail

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How to Tell Them Apart

Montezuma Quail

Plumage

Male has harlequin black-and-white face with bold white stripes and spots; chestnut-brown body with white spots on flanks; blue-grey crest; female cryptically mottled brown with faint facial pattern.

Banded Quail

Plumage

Heavily barred black and buff throughout, including crown; white supercilium; throat whitish; short rounded crest; belly barred buff and black; sexes similar. Distinctive fine barring on entire body.

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About These Birds

Montezuma Quail

A small rotund New World quail (~185 g) of family Odontophoridae, males with a harlequin-patterned black and white face. Inhabits pine-oak and grassland habitats in montane areas from Arizona and Texas to Honduras. Forages by digging bulbs and tubers with strong curved claws. Least Concern; cryptic and rarely seen; populations declining with overgrazing of native bunchgrass.

Banded Quail

A small New World quail (~125 g) of family Odontophoridae, with bold horizontal brown-and-white banding across the breast and flanks. Endemic to semi-arid scrublands, grasslands, and dry forests of the Balsas Depression in central Mexico. Forages in groups on the ground for seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern; a monotypic genus restricted to Mexico's western interior.

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