Rufous-fronted Wood-Quail
Odontophorus erythrops
This chickenlike bird is bright rufous on the face and underparts and dark brown above. Look for the black throat with a contrasting white collar (lacking in southernmost population). Also note slight crest, stout bill, and some bare gray skin around the eye. Uncommon in western Colombia and Ecuador, where it is found in lowland and foothill forest. Shy and difficult to see; stays in small groups on the forest floor and rarely comes out in the open. Listen for rollicking whistled song, similar to other wood-quails.
Identification
The rufous-fronted wood quail is 23 to 28 cm (9.1 to 11.0 in) long. Males weigh an estimated 340 g (12 oz) and females an estimated 329 g (11.6 oz). The nominate male has a rufous crown, crest, and face, with a ring of bare purple skin around the eye. The back and rump can be black or olive, with black spots. The breast and belly are dark rufous. The female's face is a darker and duller chestnut and the eye ring is blue-black. The juvenile is similar to the female but differs mostly by having black spots and bars on the belly. O. e. parambae has darker upperparts than the nominate and a white throat.
Taxonomy
The rufous-fronted wood quail has at various times been proposed or considered as conspecific with chestnut wood quail (Odonophorus hyperythrus), dark-backed wood quail (O. melanonotus), and rufous-breasted wood quail (O. speciosus). O. melanonotus has also been considered a subspecies of O. erythrops, and at least two other variations have been proposed as subspecies. As of 2021, rufous-fronted wood quail and chestnut wood quail are treated as a superspecies. <p>The rufous-fronted wood quail has two subspecies, the nominate O. e. erythrops and O. e. parambae. To complicate matters, the latter has also been considered to be a separate species.
- Scientific name
- Odontophorus erythrops
- Authority
- Gould, 1859
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Odontophoridae
- Genus
- Odontophorus
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of rufous-fronted wood quail is found in southwestern Ecuador. O. e. parambae is found more widely, on the Pacific slope of western Ecuador and western Colombia and in Colombia's Magdalena Valley. They inhabit primary and secondary humid tropical forest, in Ecuador up to 1,600 m (5,200 ft) but usually only as high as 1,100 m (3,600 ft) in Colombia.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The rufous-fronted wood quail's diet has not been studied, but they have been noted coming to grain at lodge feeders.<p>The rufous-fronted wood quail's breeding season is believed to span from January to May. No other information about its breeding phenology has been published.<p>The rufous-fronted wood quail has at least two calls, a "rapidly repeated, ringing duet 'chowita, chowita, chowita'" and "a resonant 'koo-klaw, koo-klaw, koo-klaw'".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Medium-sized antshrike with a rather small head, a short robust bill, and a long tail. Males are black with white spots and an entirely black tail while females are black with cinnamon spots and barring throughout. Mostly seen in pairs in the dense understory of humid forests closer to bamboo, can be active but hard to see. The song is a loud and clear series of ascending and descending notes.
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Scarce hummingbird found in cloud forest in the eastern foothills of the Andes in Ecuador, southern Colombia, and northern Peru. Green with a white vent and a small white dot behind eye. Male has a glittering pink throat patch, which is reduced or lacking on female. Small compared to other brilliants, and the only one with a white vent. Found only in remote and relatively undisturbed forest, and rarely encountered.
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This huge, macabre-looking stork has a massive dagger-like bill and naked pink head and neck that appear severely sunburned. A white ruff and loose inflatable skin on the neck add to its odd appearance. It soars effortlessly at great heights searching for food; note its white belly in flight. Marabous are equally content in wetlands or in dry bush; they are most frequently encountered lurking near carrion, as they attend kills of major predators and will opportunistically snatch scraps. They also readily scavenge around humans and waste dumps.
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