Bearded Wood Partridge

Overview

The bearded wood partridge, Dendrortyx barbatus, is a New World quail found exclusively in the Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico. Currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, the species has a highly fragmented range and a small population that continues to decline.

Identification

• Length of 33 to 35.5 cm and weight between 405 and 459 g.
• Bluish gray cheeks, neck, and upper chest, featuring a distinct red patch around the eye.
• Buff crown with a small crest; cinnamon nape and chest marked with red striations on the nape and chest sides.
• Song described as a series of loud, rollicking whistles repeated rapidly, often given in duet at dawn and dusk.

Habitat

It inhabits the central part of Mexico's Sierra Madre Oriental, where its range is discontinuous due to biogeographic barriers such as the Santo Domingo River. It occupies the interiors and edges of humid evergreen montane forests and pine-oak forests, both primary and secondary, and is occasionally found in gardens or farmland, often restricted to narrow riparian zones.

Diet

Foraging on the ground, this species consumes a diet of seeds, fruits, buds, tubers, and insects.

Did you know?

The male constructs a dome-shaped nest featuring a tunnel entrance. Although its breeding phenology is not well understood, it is reported to breed between April and June, typically with a clutch size of five.