Black-fronted Wood-Quail
Odontophorus atrifrons
A stout-billed, robust quail with a black face and very short crest. Mostly brown upperparts and gray-brown underparts, both finely barred. Nape is chestnut, throat black, underparts boldly dotted white, and upperparts streaked with white. Hard to see but common by voice, often in small groups walking on floor of cloud forest, most often in mature forest. Voice is an antiphonal song, generally in duets. Black face and throat diagnostic. Found only in northeastern Colombia and extreme western Venezuela.
Identification
The black-fronted wood quail is 24 to 30 cm (9.4 to 11.8 in) long. Males are estimated to weigh 311 g (11.0 oz) and females 298 g (10.5 oz). Both sexes have a distinctive black forehead ("front"), face, and throat. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a reddish brown crown, a gray back with black vermiculation, and a browner rump. The closed wing shows small white spots. Its breast is blackish brown. The adult female is similar but has more reddish underparts. The juvenile is similar to the female. O. a. variegatus has a larger area of black on the crown than the nominate, its back is browner with a more intricate pattern, and its wings and belly have cinnamon tones. O. a. navai also has a larger area of black on the crown and its body is drab dark brown with no reddish tones.
Taxonomy
Some authors have suggested that the black-fronted wood quail and gorgeted wood quail (Odontophorus strophium), Tacarcuna wood quail (O. dialeucos), Venezuelan wood quail (O. columbianus), and black-breasted wood quail (O. lecuolaemus) are actually a single species, but this treatment has not been accepted by the major avian taxonomic systems.<p>The black-fronted wood quail has three subspecies, the nominate O. a. atrifrons, O. a. variegatus, and O. a. navai.
- Scientific name
- Odontophorus atrifrons
- Authority
- Allen, JA, 1900
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Odontophoridae
- Genus
- Odontophorus
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of black-fronted wood quail is found in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of northeastern Colombia. O. a. variegatus is found at the northern end of Colombia's eastern Andes. O. a. navai is found in Serranía del Perijá, which straddles the Colombia-Venezuela border. The species inhabits the floor of tropical and subtropical montane forest, usually at elevations between 1,200 and 3,100 m (3,900 and 10,200 ft) but as low as 700 m (2,300 ft) in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The black-fronted wood quail forages in coveys of up to 10 birds, scratching in leaf litter for insects and berries.<p>The black-fronted wood quail's breeding season appears to span at least from May to August. One nest has been found; it was a bed of dried leaves and small sticks in a hollow in the ground and contained three eggs.<p>The black-fronted wood quail's advertising call is a "rhythmic, whistled, series" described as "bob-a-white". It also has a rattling call and "gabbling calls" among covey mates.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Kikuyu Mountain Greenbul
Arizelocichla kikuyuensis
Medium-sized chunky greenbul with a broken pale eye-ring. Note the gray head, softly striped cheek, and olive-green underparts. Common and conspicuous in montane forest. Often joins mixed flocks with other bird species. The song is a short series of barking and mewing notes.
Black-bellied Antwren
Formicivora melanogaster
Small antbird with a long tail and distinctive plumage. The male is dark gray brown above and black below with an obvious white eyebrow, white wing bars, and a white-tipped tail. The female is brown above with a whitish throat and buff below. Found in the understory of deciduous forests and caatinga scrub where it occasionally follows mixed-species flocks. The song is a repetition of nasal “tjew” notes.
Rufescent Prinia
Prinia rufescens
Small prinia with gray head, warm brown upperparts, and white underparts. Also shows white eyebrow and graduated tail with pale tips to the outer tail feathers. Note warmer brown tones and lack of strongly “vested” appearance when compared with Gray-breasted Prinia. Favors brushy or grassy edges as well as more open areas, including agricultural fields and gardens. Forages low in the vegetation, sometimes in mixed-species groups. Song is a loud, resonating “chewchewchewchewchew.”
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.