The singing quail (''Dactylortyx thoracicus'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the family

Odontophoridae The New World quail are small birds only distantly related to the Old World quail, but named for their similar appearance and habits. The American species are in their own family, the Odontophoridae, whereas Old World quail are in the pheasant ...

, the New World quail. It is found in

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The singing quail is the only member of its genus and has 11 subspecies. Several other subspecies have been proposed but have not been validated; those forms are included within the 11 accepted subspecies.Carroll, J. P., G. M. Kirwan, and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Singing Quail (''Dactylortyx thoracicus''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.sinqua1.01 retrieved September 11, 2021 * ''D. t. pettingilli'' * ''D. t. thoracicus'' (Veracruz singing quail) * ''D. t. sharpei'' (Yucatán singing quail) * ''D. t. paynteri'' * ''D. t. devius'' (Jaliscan singing quail) * ''D. t. melodus'' * ''D. t. chiapensis'' (Chiapan singing quail) * ''D. t. dolichonyx'' actylortyx thoracicus calophonus* ''D. t. salvadoranus'' (Salvadorean long-toed partridge) * ''D. t. fuscus'' (Honduran long-toed partridge) * ''D. t. conoveri''

Description

The singing quail is long. Males weigh and females . The smallest birds are found near sea level and the largest in the mountains. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a dark brown crown, a buff and black "collar", and a tawny orange face with a black streak behind the eye. The back and wings are mottled gray and brown with thin white streaks; the rump is olive brown or gray and has black vermiculation. The breast and belly are grayish brown with white streaks and the lower belly is white. The female has a gray face and white throat and the breast and flanks are paler brown. Juveniles are similar to females but with blackish spots on the underparts. There is much variation among the other subspecies but in general those in mountain forests are darker than those in dryer lowlands.

Distribution and habitat

The singing quail is found in several separate areas in northern, western, and southern Mexico; the

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...

; northern Belize; much of Guatemala, and spottily in El Salvador and Honduras. In general it inhabits the floor of forests with sparse undergrowth; it is also found in older secondary forest, at the edges of old-growth forest, in clear cuts, and coffee plantations. Forest types include subtropical

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial ...

and

cloudforest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud ...

. In elevation it ranges from sea level to at least .

Behavior

Feeding

The singing quail often forages in coveys of three to five birds but groups of up to 12 have been observed. It scratches for food in leaf litter and soil, feeding on bulbs, seeds, and insects.

Breeding

The singing quail's breeding season appears to span from February to October. Broods of two to four have been recorded in Yucatán. Little else is known about its breeding phenology.

Vocalization

The singing quail has a " ud, far-carrying, rhythmic song". It "commences with a series of hesitant, plaintive whistles, which increase in frequency and pitch into a rapidly delivered series, on varying pitch" and may be sung by several members of a covey. Coveys also give a weak twittering contact call.

Status

The IUCN has assessed the singing quail as being of Least Concern. It appears to have a population exceeding 100,000 birds, is locally common, and is "apparently more capable of withstanding habitat destruction and fragmentation than other quails" of Middle America. However, " reats include deforestation, and possibly hunting and grazing in forests."

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q967158 singing quail singing quail Birds of Central America Birds of the Yucatán Peninsula Birds of Guatemala Birds of El Salvador singing quail singing quail Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Birds of the Sierra Madre Oriental Birds of the Sierra Madre del Sur