Dark-backed Wood-Quail

Very local but fairly common in highland marshes of central Mexico; endemic. Favors extensive reed beds bordering lakes and adjacent bushes near water. Male is distinctive, with black mask blending into dark greenish upperparts (lacks pale border to mask of Common Yellowthroat, which occurs in same areas); also note extensively yellow underparts and dark legs. Female is darker overall than female Common Yellowthroat, with dark (not pinkish) legs. Voice subtly distinctive.

A very slender gray-brown swift with a long, deeply forked tail that is often held closed, making it look needle-like and pointed. The erratic flight pattern, with frequent direction changes and rapid wingbeats on long, scythe-shaped wings, is distinctive. Less gregarious than other swifts; usually found in pairs or small flocks, and association with other swallows and swifts is usually only fleeting. Forages over a wide variety of habitats with palms, including savanna, coastal scrub, towns, villages, cultivated areas, forest edge, and clearings, from sea level up to 1800 meters of elevation, preferring lowlands. Nests and roosts in palms and uses its tiny legs with hook-like claws to cling to the undersides of fronds. Gives a high-pitched, metallic “tre-tit-tit-tit-tit-tit-tit-tit” call, solitarily or in unison with others. Separated from other swifts by its longer and thinner tail.

This odd cryptic-looking bird is the only one of its family in its range. Rather like a cross between an owl and a nightjar, but note wide mouth and proportionally smaller eyes. Intricately mottled and dappled in shades of gray and brown; males are predominantly gray-brown, while females are rufous-toned. A secretive inhabitant of forests with dense understories, often roosting deep in tangles by day. Vocalizations include a horrible scratchy scream and various cooing notes, often given in series.