Montezuma quail
| Montezuma quail | ||||||||||
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Montezuma quail ( Cyrtonyx montezumae ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Cyrtonyx montezumae | ||||||||||
| ( Vigors , 1830) |
The Montezuma quail ( Cyrtonyx montezumae ) is a species of toothed quail . It occurs only in the New World.
description
Montezuma quails reach a body length of 21 to 23 centimeters. The females are usually a bit smaller. They weigh an average of 193 grams while the males weigh an average of 209 grams.
The plainly colored female with its light brown plumage looks similar to the common quail, but the male is beautifully drawn. The head is white with black markings, has a short beak and golden-yellow plumage feathers that lie back. The belly is red-brown, and on the edge it is gray-black with white spots. The wing is light brown with black dots adorned with feathers. The legs are gray.
Her call sounds like trilling, falling neighs.
distribution and habitat
The distribution area of the Montezuma quail extends from southern Arizona through New Mexico and Texas to northern Mexico . There she lives in mountainous, open woodland with juniper , pine and oak . In the United States, the Montezuma quail is a rare and only locally widespread breeding bird. The species is more common and widespread in Mexico, but here, too, populations are declining due to habitat loss.
nutrition
With its strong legs, it can dig bulbs and bulbs out of the ground, but otherwise it will eat various types of seeds and insects, which it pecks with its short beak.
Reproduction
The Montezuma quail is a monogamous bird species. The nest is a shallow hollow that is laid out with grass and is usually hidden under a tuft of grass or in thick herbaceous vegetation. According to the current state of knowledge, the male is involved in the construction of the nesting trough. In the United States, Montezuma quail usually breed between June and September. In Mexico, on the other hand, the breeding season begins towards the end of March and the birds often raise two broods here. The clutch consists of six to in extreme cases 28 eggs. The average clutch size, however, is eleven eggs. The breeding season is 25 to 26 days. Both parent birds are involved in guiding the young birds.
supporting documents
literature
- Steve Madge , Phil McGowan, and Guy M. Kirwan : Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse. A Guide to the Pheasants, Partridges, Quails, Grouse, Guineafowl, Buttonquails and Sandgrouse of the world. Christopher Helm, London 2002, ISBN 0-7136-3966-0 .
Web links
- Cyrtonyx montezumae in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed January 31 of 2009.