Gorgeted wood quail

The rare gorgeted wood quail (Odontophorus strophium) is a small ground-dwelling bird. This tiny member of the New World quail family has been found in the larger oak forest remnants in the eastern Cordillera (Serrania de Yariguies and NorAndino Oak Forest Corridor) section of Colombia.

Gorgeted wood quail
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Odontophoridae
Genus: Odontophorus
Species:
O. strophium
Binomial name
Odontophorus strophium
(Gould, 1844)

Its natural habitat is humid subtropical and temperate forests that have mainly oak and laurel trees. The bird has only been sighted between the altitudes of 1,750-2,050 m, but it is believed that this tiny quail may have an elevational range of 1,500-2,500 m. It is probably dependent on primary forest for a part of its life-cycle, yet it has also been sited in degraded habitats and secondary forest.

It forages for fruit, seeds and arthropods. The bird's breeding season seems to coincide with peaks in annual rainfall in March–May and September–November.

It was formerly classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.[2] But new research has shown it to be not as rare as it was believed. Consequently, it is downlisted to Endangered status in 2008.[3]

Feeding

The Gorgeted quail eats insects and nuts especially in summer, as well as plants. Unlike many other bird species, they require a high protein diet.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Odontophorus strophium". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. BLI (2004)
  3. BLI (2008)


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