Dusky Turtle-Dove

A robust and beautiful forest-dwelling quail with a short crest and a stout bill. Mostly rufous-brown body, boldly scaled white below and streaked white above. White throat bordered by black collar.. Female lacks white dots and streaks, instead showing grayish underparts. Hard to see but easily detected by voice in small groups walking on floor of cloud forests, most often in mature forest with understory rich in palms. Sings loudly in duets or choruses. Marbled Wood-Quail has a bare orange ocular area and lacks white throat. Endemic two Venezuela with two isolated populations.

A striking medium-sized species of wooded habitats. The white face framed by the red of its nape and crown and its finely barred black-and-white back is distinctive; resembles no other species in its range. Sometimes first detected by its determined excavation of rotting wood. Vocalizations include an emphatic, slightly rough “urp,” and a burry “urr-urr-urr-urr” given as a rapid rolling burst.

Rusty brown with a silvery gray head and thick black streaks all over the body. Relatively short-tailed for a barwing. Uncommon to rare inhabitant of mid- to high-altitude moist evergreen forests. Social; frequently found in small flocks and as a part of mixed species flocks. Gives a somewhat nasal “kyow-kyow-kyow-kyow.”