Starred Wood Quail

About the Starred Wood Quail

The starred wood quail (Odontophorus stellatus) is a species of bird in the family Odontophoridae (New World quail). It is found in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests of Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru. The starred wood quail is between about 24 and 28 cm (9.4 and 11.0 in) long, males being slightly larger than females. The bill is blackish, the irises brown and the legs grey, and the long feathers on the back of the head form a pronounced crest, reddish-brown in the male and brownish-black in the female. Other than this, the sexes are very similar in appearance; the front of the crown is dark brown and the rest of the head, neck, throat and mantle is grey. The general colour of the upper parts is olive-brown, marked with darker vermiculations, paler on the rump and darker on the wings and scapulars, with large black markings on the flight feathers and pale speckling on the wing coverts. The underparts are reddish-brown with white speckling on the sides of the breast and dark barring near the vent. The juvenile is similar but has an orange or reddish bill.

A retiring and elusive bird, its presence in an area is disclosed by its distinctive... Wikipedia →