Montezuma quail are preyed upon most commonly by avian predators such as Cooper's hawks, (Accipiter cooperii) northern goshawks, (Accipiter gentilis) and northern harriers (Circus cyaneus). The elusive quail are more of a challenge for terrestrial predators but are occasionally killed by coyotes (Canis latrans). When nests are found, the eggs would likely be consumed by an array of carnivorous animals such as skunks (Mephitis) and various snakes. Montezuma quail are also considered a gamebird and hunted in Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico. (Stromberg, 2000)
Known Predators:
Montezuma quail are plump, stocky birds resembling other new world quails. Adults are 205 to 230 mm long, slightly shorter than the other western quails. The species exhibits strong sexual dimorphism in plumage coloration, although markings are very intricate in both sexes. Males have a distinct black and white face pattern. The contour feathers on the male’s ventral side are black with spots, except for a central patch of dark cinnamon feathers extending posteriorly from the breast. Females lack the black and brilliant white on their faces found in males. Females are also more brown overall. Montezuma quail can be distinguished from Gambel’s quail (Callipepla gambelii) by their lack of a prominent “top-knot” as well as other color differences. Other quail that may co-occur in areas with montezuma quail are northern bobwhite (Collinus virginianus) in east Texas. These more closely resemble montezuma quail, but the species can be differentiated relatively easy upon close inspection. (Stromberg, 2000)
Range mass: 176 to 195 g.
Range length: 205 to 230 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
In captivity, montezuma quail may live up to 7 years but the lifespan of free-ranging birds is much lower due to less than optimal conditions and predation. (Stromberg, 2000)
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 7 (high) years.
Typical habitats of montezuma quail are oak savannas or oak-pine woodlands. These vegetative communities coincide with the species elevational distribution. Although rare, small populations have been recorded in pinion-juniper woodlands, mesquite grasslands, and mixed conifer forests. (Brown, 1989; Russel and Monson, 1998; Stromberg, 2000)
Range elevation: 1000 to 3000 m.
Habitat Regions: temperate
Terrestrial Biomes: forest
Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) are found primarily in Mexico along the Sierra Madre mountains, however, their range extends briefly into the southwestern United States. States that have populations of montezuma quail are Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Populations are scattered along mountain ranges at elevations of 1000 m and above in eastern and southeastern Arizona, extending into western and southern New Mexico. Texas has a few isolated populations in the western portion of the state at similar elevations. Montezuma quail have been observed in Arizona at elevations as high as 3050 m on Escudilla Mountain, Green’s Peak and Mt. Baldy. (Brown, 1989; Sibley and Monroe, 1990)
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Coveys forage strictly on the ground. After the covey leaves the roost, usually near a creek bed, the birds feed uphill staying close together. Their diet consist primarily of bulbs from wood sorrel (Oxalis spp.) and flat sedges (Cyperus spp.). Consequently, the birds are often seen digging in moist soil with their elongated claws adapted for exposing roots and tubers. Montezuma quail will also consume mast during years of productive crops. Insects and their pupa are another important food source when available. The birds generally shift their diet toward higher consumption of insects during the summer months when the prey are more abundant. Insects, however, may be eaten year round. A male harvested in November near the Buenos Aries National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona had parts from 8 large grasshoppers in its crop (P. Greer, pers. obsv.). Seeds from various grasses and forbs can also be an important food source for Montezuma Quail. Like other species of quail in the southwest, drinking water is not required to maintain internal water balance. (Albers and Gehlbach, 1990; Russel and Monson, 1998; Stromberg, 2000)
Animal Foods: insects
Plant Foods: roots and tubers; seeds, grains, and nuts
Primary Diet: omnivore
Montezuma quail are highly dependant on the dense understory grass cover of native annual and perennial plants characteristic of a healthy evergreen oak woodland community. Thus, the status of montezuma quail populations may reflect the health of the ecosystem.
Montezuma quail are considered game birds and hunted in Arizona, New Mexico, and to some degree in Mexico. The popularity of montezuma quail has steadily increased over the past two decades. Hunters in pursuit of these unique galliforms travel across the country each fall to search for montezuma quail in Arizona and New Mexico. The tendency of the birds to hold tight before flushing is also a desirable trait in a game bird which allows the use of various pointing breeds of bird dogs. This popularity among hunters brings substantial income to local guiding services and communities in montezuma quail country each hunting season.
Conservation efforts directed at improving montezuma quail habitat may indirectly affect livestock grazing permittees in these areas. (See Conservation Section)
Montezuma Quail are directly dependent upon a thick ground cover of native perennial bunchgrasses for nesting habitat and escape cover. Consequently, the species is vulnerable to habitat alteration from overgrazing by livestock, change in weather patterns, and the spread of non-native plant species. Brown (1982) showed quail numbers declined in allotments where heavy grazing occurred although these areas did experience an increase in abundance of forage species. The negative effects of cover removal, however, outweighed the increase in forage. Stromberg (2000) stated that habitats subjected to reduction of greater than 50% of the annual grass production could not support viable populations of Montezuma Quail. Consequently, management objectives should be directed at maintaining the natural biomass of ground cover in these habitats. The most effective means of accomplishing this would be reducing livestock grazing permits. This alternative would likely be met with opposition from the ranching community. (See Economic Importance for Humans Section) (Brown 1982, Albers and Gehlbach 1990, Stromberg 2000)
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Other common names of montezuma quail are: Mearn's quail, fool's quail, and harlequin quail.
Nesting occurs from late June thru August, however, newly hatched young have been found as late as September in Sonora Mexico. Montezuma Quail nest on the ground in areas with adequate protection. Nests are covered structures usually woven with grass. Both males and females participate in incubation of the eggs and brooding of the young for the first few days after hatching. The average clutch size is 10 and double brooding in the wild has not been reported. Reproductive success is thought to be correlated with summer precipitation. Summer rains increase abundance and growth of food plants and increase the biomass of native perennial bunchgrasses which provide critical cover and protection for the quail. (Brown 1989, Albers and Gehlbach 1990, Stromberg 2000)
Breeding season: Late June through September
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous
Montezuma quail young are precocial and are usually out of the nest foraging for food soon after hatching. When born, the young are fully feathered and capable of quick sprints to the nearest cover. During the first week, parents teach the young which food sources are palatable and often expose bulbs and insects to the chicks. Within 1 week, the chicks forage independently. Like many other species in the avian world, growth of the young follows a sigmoid curve. Juveniles reach adult weight between 10 and 11 weeks. After this time, the young are well developed and fully capable of flight comparable to that of adults. Juveniles will attempt to reproduce in their first year of life. (Stromberg 2000)
Parental Investment: precocial
The Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) is a stubby, secretive New World quail of Mexico and some nearby parts of the United States. It is also known as Mearns's quail, the harlequin quail (for the male's striking pattern), and the fool quail (for its behavior).
The Montezuma quail was formally described in 1830 by Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors under the binomial name Ortyx montezumae based on a specimen collected in Mexico.[3][4] This species is now placed in the genus Cyrtonyx that was introduced in 1844 by English ornithologist John Gould, with Montezuma quail as the type species.[5] The specific epithet montezumae is from the name of the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma Xocoyotzin.[6]
The southern populations are sometimes considered a separate species, Cyrtonyx sallei. The Montezuma quail, though, is sometimes considered conspecific with the very similar ocellated quail, Cyrtonyx ocellatus, which replaces it from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to northern Nicaragua.[7]
The two recognized subspecies are:[8]
Cyrtonyx montezumae sallei (Salle's quail or the spot-breasted quail) is now accepted by the IUCN Red List and other sources as its own species.[9][10][11][12] Cyrtonyx montezumae rowleyi (Rowley's quail) is now a subspecies of Salle's quail for populations of the Montezuma quail subspecies looked similar and almost familiar to that of Cyrtonyx sallei, now being Cyrtonyx sallei rowleyi.[12]
At about 22 cm (8.75 in), it is one of the shortest quails of North America, although it weighs 180 g (6 oz), the same as some Callipepla quails that are somewhat taller. It has an even plumper build and shorter tail than other quails.[13]
Both sexes have the back and wing coverts tan with longitudinal light-buff streaks formed by the feather shafts and circular or transversely oblong black spots arranged in bars. A crest on the nape makes the profile distinctively long front-to-back. The bill is black above and bluish-gray below. The adult males have a striking, swirling black-and-white face pattern. A single tan plume lies flat over the crest. Their sides are blue-gray (often looking black) with bold spots, which in northern birds are white and in southern birds are white towards the front and chestnut towards the back. The middle of the chest and belly is dark brown in northern birds, lighter and tawnier in southern birds. Females have a suggestion of the male's face pattern. Their underparts are light brown with a few fine black shaft streaks and other lines. Juveniles resemble females, but the underparts are grayish with white shaft streaks and black dots. Immature males develop the adult side pattern early, but do not develop the face pattern till early winter.[14][7]
An unusual feature of this species is its long, sickle-shaped claws, which it uses for digging.
The assembly or territorial call is "six to nine notes descending in pitch",[13] "a far-carrying, descending, quavering whinny".[7] The male's "song" for pairing is "an eerie, melancholy, vibrant, descending whistle vwirrrrr"[13] or "an insect-like buzzing that starts at a high pitch and descends".[14] It is given from the ground, whereas other quails sing on such perches as the tops of fenceposts or bushes.[14] Other calls are used, as well.[13]
This species is found (or overlooked) from Oaxaca north through the interior of Mexico to the mountains of central and southeastern Arizona, central and southwestern New Mexico, and West Texas. It is absent from deserts and the Río Balsas valley.[14][7] There are five subspecies[15] divided into two plumage types, northern and southern, that intergrade in central Veracruz.[7]
Their habitat is open woods, most often oak, but also pine-oak and juniper, with grass at least 30 cm (1 ft) tall. Slopes of hills and canyons are particularly favored. Their range is decreasing and becoming fragmented.[14][7]
In fall, Montezuma quail do not form large groups, as most American quail do. An average covey consists of eight birds, just parents and their offspring, although coveys bigger than 25 birds have been reported. At night, birds in a covey roost on southeast-facing slopes, gathered around a rock or tussock, facing outward.
These birds are quite sedentary. A pair or covey typically forages within 50 m of the place where it foraged the day before. Coveys' territories in fall and winter are only 1 to 5 ha; in the breeding season, pairs spread out and territories may be as big as 50 ha. Otherwise, no seasonal movements are known.[14]
In the presence of humans, Montezuma quail crouch motionless in tall grass instead of running. They may allow an approach as close as 1 m before flying (taking off with a "loud, popping wing noise"[13]) and on rare occasions have been caught by hand.[14]
Males begin singing in February or March, but nesting does not start till July or August, the season of "monsoon" rains throughout its range. The long delay between pairing and nesting is unusual for quails. The nest is also unusual - a grass dome with one entrance, more elaborate than most nests in the family.[14] The clutch comprises about 11 eggs (ranging from 6 to 12[7]), which are "whitish"[7] or "chalk-white".[14] Incubation lasts about 25 days by both the male and the female (2 days longer than that of most American quails). Males help brood the young; at least in captive birds, they may also help build the nest and incubate the eggs.[14]
The Montezuma quail eats insects, especially in summer, as well as plants. Particularly important plant foods are Oxalis and other bulbs, as well as sedge (Cyperus esculentus and C. sphaerolepis) tubers, which it digs up. The holes, often at the bases of bushes and rocks, may be as much as 8 cm deep and are a good sign of the bird's presence. Crops sometimes contain bulbs of plants that have no above-ground growth at that season; how the birds find such bulbs is unknown.[14]
Like most birds of its order, the Montezuma quail is a popular game bird. Regulated hunting does not seem to affect populations much in the United States,[14] but it may have a greater effect in Mexico.[7] A greater threat appears to be cattle grazing, not because of competition for food, but because it depletes the cover in which the quail hide. Grazing is particularly harmful in years of low summer rains, but some grazing regimens may not harm quail populations.[14]
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{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) The Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) is a stubby, secretive New World quail of Mexico and some nearby parts of the United States. It is also known as Mearns's quail, the harlequin quail (for the male's striking pattern), and the fool quail (for its behavior).
