New World quail explained
The New World quail are small birds, that despite their similar appearance and habits to the Old World quail, belong to a different family known as the Odontophoridae. In contrast, the Old World quail are in the Phasianidae family. The geographical range of the New World quail extends from Canada to southern Brazil, and two species, the California quail and the bobwhite quail, have been successfully introduced to New Zealand. The stone partridge and Nahan's partridge, both found in Africa, seem to belong to the family. Species are found across a variety of habitats from tropical rainforest to deserts, although few species are capable of surviving at very low temperatures. There are 34 species divided into 10 genera.
The legs of most New World quails are short but powerful, with some species having very thick legs for digging. They lack the spurs of many Old World galliformes. Although they are capable of short bursts of strong flight, New World quails prefer to walk, and run from danger (or hide), taking off explosively only as a last resort. Plumage varies from dull to spectacular, and many species have ornamental crests or plumes on their heads. Moderate sexual dichromism is seen in plumage, with males having brighter plumage.
Behaviour and ecology
The New World quails are shy diurnal birds and generally live on the ground; even the tree quails, which roost in high trees, generally feed mainly on the ground. They are generalists with regards to their diet, taking insects, seeds, vegetation, and tubers. Desert species in particular consume seeds frequently.
Most of the information about the breeding biology of New World quails comes from North American species, which have been better studied than those of the Neotropics. The family is generally thought to be monogamous, and nests are constructed on the ground. Clutch sizes are large, as is typical within the Galliformes, ranging from three to six eggs for the tree quail and wood quail, and as high as 10-15 for the northern bobwhite. Incubation takes between 16 and 30 days depending on the species. Chicks are precocial and quickly leave the nest to accompany the parents in large family groups.
Northern bobwhite and California quail are popular gamebirds, with many taken by hunters, but these species have also had their ranges increased to meet hunting demand and are not threatened. They are also artificially stocked. Some species are threatened by human activity, such as the bearded tree quail of Mexico, which is threatened by habitat loss and illegal hunting.
Species
Subspecies English names by Çınar 2015.[1]
| Subfamily | Image | Genus | Species |
|---|
| Ptilopachinae | | Ptilopachus | - Nahan's partridge/forest francolin, Ptilopachus nahani
- Stone partridge/Bantam, Ptilopachus petrosus
- P. p. brehmi (Kordofan stone partridge)
- P. p. major (Abyssinian/Ethiopian stone partridge)
- P. p. florentiae (Kenya stone partridge)
- P. p. petrosus
|
|---|
| Odontophorinae (New World quails) | | Rhynchortyx | - Banded/Tawny-faced quail, Rhynchortyx cinctus
- R. c. pudibundus (Honduran long-legged colin)
- R. c. cinctus (long-legged colin)
- R. c. australis (southern long-legged colin)
|
|---|
| Oreortyx | - Mountain quail, Oreortyx pictus
- O. p. pictus (northwestern mountain quail)
- O. p. plumifer (plumed mountain quail)
- O. p. russelli (pallid mountain quail)
- O. p. eremophilus (desert mountain quail)
- O. p. confinis (southern mountain quail)
|
| Dendrortyx | - Bearded wood partridge, Dendrortyx barbatus
- Buffy-crowned wood partridge, Dendrortyx leucophrys
- D. l. leucophrys (Guatemalan/Nicaraguan long-tailed partridge)
- D. l. hypospodius (Costa Rican long-tailed partridge)
- Long-tailed wood partridge, Dendrortyx macroura
- D. m. macroura (eastern long-tailed partridge)
- D. m. griseipectus (gray-breasted long-tailed partridge)
- D. m. diversus (Jalisco long-tailed partridge)
- D. m. striatus (Guerreran long-tailed partridge)
- D. m. inesperatus
- D. m. oaxacae (Oaxacan long-tailed partridge)
|
| Philortyx |
|
| Colinus (Bobwhites) | - †Colinus eatoni
- †Colinus suilium
- †Colinus hibbardi
- Crested bobwhite, Colinus cristatus
- C. c. mariae
- C. c. panamensis (Panama crested quail)
- C. c. decoratus (Magdalena crested quail)
- C. c. littoralis (littoral crested quail)
- C. c. cristatus
- C. c. horvathi (Horvath's quail)
- C. c. barnesi
- C. c. sonnini (Sonnini's crested quail)
- C. c. mocquerysi (Mocquerys's/Cumana crested quail)
- C. c. leucotis (white-eared crested quail)
- C. c. badius (Cauca Valley crested quail)
- C. c. bogotensis (Bogotá crested bobwhite)
- C. c. parvicristatus (short-crested quail)
- Spot-bellied bobwhite, Colinus leucopogon
- C. l. incanus (Guatemalan white-breasted bobwhite)
- C. l. hypoleucus (Salvadorean White-breasted Bobwhite)
- C. l. leucopogon (white-throated quail)
- C. l. leylandi (Leyland's spot-bellied quail)
- C. l. sclateri (Sclater's spot-bellied bobwhite)
- C. l. dickeyi (Dickey's spot-bellied bobwhite)
- Yucatán/Black-throated bobwhite, Colinus nigrogularis
- C. n. caboti
- C. n. persiccus (Progreso black-throated bobwhite)
- C. n. nigrogularis
- C. n. segoviensis (Honduran black-throated quail)
- masked/Northern bobwhite, Colinus virginianus
- C. v. graysoni subspecies-group
- C. v. graysoni (Grayson's Bobwhite)
- C. v. nigripectus (puebla northern bobwhite)
- C. v. pectoralis subspecies-group
- C. v. pectoralis (black-breasted bobwhite)
- C. v. godmani (Godman's northern bobwhite)
- C. v. minor (least northern bobwhite)
- C. v. thayeri (Thayer's northern bobwhite)
- C. v. coyolcos subspecies-group
- C. v. nelsoni (Nelson's bobwhite)
- C. v. ridgwayi (Masked northern Bobwhite)
- C. v. insignis (Guatemalan northern bobwhite)
- C. v. salvini (Salvin's northern bobwhite)
- C. v. coyolcos (coyolcos Bobwhite)
- C. v. harrisoni (Harrison's bobwhite)
- C. v. atriceps (black-headed northern bobwhite)
- C. v. virginianus subspecies-group
- C. v. aridus (Jaumave northern bobwhite)
- C. v. cubanensis (Cuban bobwhite)
- C. v. floridanus (Florida bobwhite)
- C. v. maculatus (spot-bellied northern bobwhite)
- C. v. virginianus (Eastern bobwhite)
- C. v. taylori (plains bobwhite)
- C. v. texanus (Texas bobwhite)
|
| Callipepla (Crested quails) | - †Callipepla shotwelli
- Scaled quail/blue quail Callipepla squamata
- C. s. pallida (northern scaled quail)
- C. s. hargravei (Upper Sonoran scaled quail)
- C. s. castanogastris (chestnut-bellied scaled quail)
- C. s. squamata (Altiplano scaled quail)
- Elegant quail, Callipepla douglasii
- C. d. douglasii (Douglas's elegant quail)
- C. d. bensoni (Benson's elegant quail)
- C. d. vanderbilti (Islas Marías elegant quail)
- C. d. teres (Jalisco elegant quail)
- California quail, Callipepla californica
- C. c. brunnescens (coastal California quail)
- C. c. canfieldae (Owen Valley quail)
- C. c. californica (valley California quail)
- C. c. catalinensis (Santa Catalina California quail)
- C. c. achrustera (San Lucas California quail)
- Gambel's quail, Callipepla gambelii
- C. g. gambelii (southwestern Gambel's quail)
- C. g. ignoscens (Texas Gambel's quail)
- C. g. fulvipectus (fulvous-breasted Gambel's quail)
- C. g. stephensi (Stephen's Gambel's quail)
|
| Cyrtonyx | - †Cyrtonyx cooki
- Ocellated quail, Cyrtonyx ocellatus
- Montezuma quail, Cyrtonyx montezumae
- C. m. mearnsi (Mearns's Montezuma quail)
- C. m. montezumae (Massena harlequin quail)
- Spot-breasted quail, Cyrtonyx sallei
- C. s. rowleyi
- C. s. sallei (Salle's spot-breasted quail)
|
| Dactylortyx | - long-toed/Singing quail, Dactylortyx thoracicus
- D. t. pettingilli
- D. t. thoracicus (Veracruz singing quail)
- D. t. sharpei (Yucatán singing quail)
- D. t. paynteri
- D. t. devius (Jaliscan singing quail)
- D. t. melodus
- D. t. chiapensis (Chiapan singing quail)
- D. t. dolichonyx [Dactylortyx thoracicus calophonus]
- D. t. salvadoranus (Salvadorean long-toed partridge)
- D. t. fuscus (Honduran long-toed partridge)
- D. t. conoveri
|
| Odontophorus (wood quails) | - Spotted wood quail, Odontophorus guttatus
- Marbled wood quail, Odontophorus gujanensis
- O. g. castigatus (Chiriquí partridge)
- O. g. marmoratus (marbled partridge)
- O. g. medius (Duida partridge)
- O. g. gujanensis (Guianan partridge)
- O. g. buckleyi (Buckley's partridge)
- O. g. rufogularis
- O. g. pachyrhynchus (thick-billed partridge)
- O. g. simonsi (Simon's partridge)
- Starred wood quail, Odontophorus stellatus
- Spot-winged wood quail, Odontophorus capueira
- Black-eared wood quail, Odontophorus melanotis
- O. m. verecundus (Honduran partridge)
- O. m. melanotis (black-eared wood quail)
- Rufous-fronted wood quail, Odontophorus erythrops
- O. e. parambae (Paramba quail)
- O. e. erythrops (chestnut-eared partridge)
- Stripe-faced wood quail, Odontophorus balliviani
- Chestnut wood quail, Odontophorus hyperythrus
- Dark-backed wood quail, Odontophorus melanonotus
- Rufous-breasted wood quail, Odontophorus speciosus
- O. s. soderstromii (Soderstrom's partridge)
- O. s. speciosus (rufous-breasted partridge)
- O. s. loricatus (Bolivian partridge)
- Tacarcuna wood quail, Odontophorus dialeucos
- Gorgeted wood quail, Odontophorus strophium
- Venezuelan wood quail, Odontophorus columbianus
- Black-breasted wood quail, Odontophorus leucolaemus
- Black-fronted wood quail, Odontophorus atrifrons
- O. a. atrifrons (black-fronted partridge)
- O. a. variegatus (variegated partridge)
- O. a. navai
|
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Fossils
- Genus †Miortyx Miller 1944
- †Miortyx teres Miller 1944
- †Miortyx aldeni Howard 1966
- Genus †Nanortyx Weigel 1963
- †Nanortyx inexpectatus Weigel 1963
- Genus †Neortyx Holman 1961
- †Neortyx peninsularis Holman 1961
Phylogeny
Position within the Galliformes. Living Odontophoridae based on the work by John Boyd.[2]
See also
References
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: . Çınar. Ümüt. November 2015. 02 → Gᴀʟʟᴏᴀɴsᴇʀᴀᴇ : Gᴀʟʟɪfᴏʀᴍᴇs . 30 December 2015.
- Web site: John Boyd's website . Boyd. John. 2007. Odontophoridae . 30 December 2015.
