Alternative English names: Montezuma
Quail (subspecies of)
Alternative scientific names: Cyrtonyx montezumae (subspecies
of)
Spanish names: Codorniz Ocelada (G, E); Codorniz de Ocotal (H);
Perdiz Pintada (E)
Many authors mention that Occellated Quail should be considered
a subspecies of Montezuma Quail Cyrtonyx montezumae,
though they nearly all treat them as separate species and
I have not yet seen any strong argument in the literature
for either case. Some authors recognize two subspecies of
Occellated Quail, with the slightly larger C. o. ocellatus
being found in southern Mexico and Guatemala and C. c
differens being found mainly in Honduras. However, Monroe
suggests that the differences are not significant enough to
consider them as distinct subspecies.
The vast majority of this species’ range lies within
Honduras, Southern Guatemala and Chiapas in southern Mexico,
with the range just reaching into northern El Salvador and
Oaxaca in Mexico, and northern Nicaragua. This is primarily
a species of highland pine and pine-oak areas, especially
where there is undergrowth of long grass and in abandoned
or overgrown fields and areas with ferns. Land describes it
as fairly common in Guatemala, but birders I know in Guatemala
have had great difficulty seeing them. This could mean that
they are locally common and not in areas visited by my friends,
or there could have been a population decline in the 34 years
since Land wrote his book. Jason Berry once saw a bird at
San Carlos Sija in western Guatemala. I have visited the site
since, but without success. The area around Biotopo del Quetzal
and further north near Coban are also supposed to be good,
but I do not have any site details. Monroe describes them
as uncommon to fairly common in Honduras. I have still never
seen one, despite having spent quite a bit of time studying
White-breasted Hawks in pine forests in Western Honduras.
However, Mark Bonta tells me that he has seen them on many
occasions in Olancho in eastern Honduras, which has vast areas
of open pine savannah. His book ‘Birding Honduras’
includes a number of sites where this species can be seen.
Dickey and van Rossem described the species in El Salvador
as fairly common but exceedingly local. They mention that
there were three small flocks of a dozen or so birds each
that lived within a mile of their campsite. However, there
have been no records of this species in El Salvador since.
One of the difficulties with seeing this species is that
they do not flush easily. Dickey and van Rossem comment on
how they tend not to flush until they are literally almost
stepped on. Land adds that they then usually fly some distance
before dropping back into the grass.
The voice, nest and eggs of this species have not yet been
described. On one occasion Jason Berry and I attempted to
play a tape of Montezuma Quail at a known site to see if anything
responded, but without success. Dickey and van Rossem comment
on how some of the birds had not completed their post-juvenile
moult by late February and early March.
Infonatura has a range map with a little information about
the species www.natureserve.org
BirdLife has a factsheet for this species www.birdlife.net
This website has a page on the aviculture of the related Montezuma
Quail. They state that there are thought to be no Ocellated
Quails in captivity www.gbwf.org
This website includes a painting by John Gould. It is the
only picture of this species available on the net http://j-gould.tamagawa.jp
Known sites
Guatemala
San Carlos Sija
Also thought to be present near biotope del Quetzal
Honduras
See Bonta
El Salvador
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