Ocellated Quail

Overview

The ocellated quail (Cyrtonyx ocellatus) is a species of New World quail in the family Odontophoridae. It is currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with fewer than 10,000 individuals remaining.

Identification

• Males feature a black and white harlequin pattern on the face, a tawny crest on the rear of the crown, and a white throat with black stripes.
• Upperparts are gray and brown with cinnamon stripes and black spots, while the central breast is tawny cinnamon and the belly is a deeper cinnamon.
• Females have buffy and black faces, brown upperparts with buff lines, and a wine-red breast and belly marked with black bars and spots.
• The male sings a single descending, buzzy whistle, while the female produces a descending series of short notes.

Habitat

The species inhabits shrubland and open pine and oak forest, generally between 750 and 3,050 m of elevation. Its range includes El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, with possibly a few records from Nicaragua, though significant recent sightings have been confined mostly to Guatemala.

Diet

Entirely terrestrial, the bird forages for tubers and roots by digging with its feet. It also consumes a variety of insects, particularly during the breeding season.

Did you know?

Almost nothing is known about the species' breeding phenology, and neither the nest nor the eggs have been described.