Crested bobwhite

Last updated

Crested bobwhite
Colinus cristatus -Curacao, Netherlands Antilles-8a.jpg
On Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Odontophoridae
Genus: Colinus
Species:
C. cristatus
Binomial name
Colinus cristatus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Colinus cristatus map.svg
Synonyms
  • Tetrao cristatusLinnaeus, 1766

The crested bobwhite (Colinus cristatus) is a species of bird in the family Odontophoridae. It is found in northern South America, extending through Panama to just reach Costa Rica. It also occurs on Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, and heavily degraded former forest.

Contents

Description

Painting Colinus cristatus.jpg
Painting

Adult crested bobwhite are about 178 to 216 millimetres (7.0 to 8.5 in) long. The sexes are very similar in appearance. The long feathers on the fore-head and crown are pale buff or white, and the crest feathers may be dark. The back and sides of the neck are marbled in black and white and the throat is white or buff, sometimes spotted with black. The upper parts are mottled black, brown and grey. The underparts are pale, with buff, cinnamon and black markings. The eye is brown, the beak black and the legs bluish-grey. The female is slightly browner than the male. [2]

Behaviour

The crested bobwhite occurs in small groups on the ground in or near thick cover and its behaviour is rather similar to that of the northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). The diet consists of buds, shoots, leaves and small invertebrates. The male's call, heard in the breeding season, is distinctive; a fast, husky, three-syllable "quoit bob-white" or a two-syllable "oh, wheet". [3]

Status

The crested bobwhite has a very wide range and is common in much of that range. The population seems to be on the increase and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

Subspecies

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern bobwhite</span> Species of bird

The northern bobwhite, also known as the Virginia quail or bobwhite quail, is a ground-dwelling bird native to Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Cuba, with introduced populations elsewhere in the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. It is a member of the group of species known as New World quail (Odontophoridae). They were initially placed with the Old World quail in the pheasant family (Phasianidae), but are not particularly closely related. The name "bobwhite" is an onomatopoeic derivation from its characteristic whistling call. Despite its secretive nature, the northern bobwhite is one of the most familiar quails in eastern North America, because it is frequently the only quail in its range. Habitat degradation has contributed to the northern bobwhite population in eastern North America declining by roughly 85% from 1966 to 2014. This population decline is apparently range-wide and continuing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-legged partridge</span> Species of bird

The red-legged partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is sometimes known as French partridge, to distinguish it from the English or grey partridge. The genus name is from Ancient Greek alektoris a farmyard chicken, and rufa is Latin for red or rufous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-tailed silky-flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The long-tailed silky-flycatcher is a passerine bird which occurs only in the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama, usually from 1,850 m altitude to the timberline. It is a thrush-sized species weighing about 37 g. The silky-flycatchers are related to waxwings, and like that group have soft silky plumage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale-billed woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The pale-billed woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found from Mexico to Panama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruddy treerunner</span> Species of bird

The ruddy treerunner, is a passerine bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-capped pygmy tyrant</span> Species of bird

The black-capped pygmy tyrant is the smallest passerine bird in its range, though larger than its cousin, the short-tailed pygmy tyrant. This tyrant flycatcher occurs from Costa Rica to north-western Ecuador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yucatan bobwhite</span> Species of bird

The Yucatan bobwhite or black-throated bobwhite is a species of bird in the family Odontophoridae. It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, coastal mangroves and heavily degraded former forest. A specific example of occurrence is the Petenes mangroves of the Yucatan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marbled wood quail</span> Species of bird

The marbled wood quail, also known as the Amazonian wood quail, is a species of bird in the New World quail family. It has an extensive distribution in Central America and the northern part of South America. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested owl</span> Species of owl

The crested owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is the only species (monotypic) in the genus Lophostrix. It is a resident bird and occurs in Central America and northern South America. It is a medium-sized owl, easily recognizable with its very long whitish ear tufts and otherwise darker appearance. It inhabits lowland rainforests and prefers old growth in proximity with water. The crested owl is a strictly nocturnal species, but very little is known about its behaviour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purplish-backed quail-dove</span> Species of bird

The purplish-backed quail-dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tumbes sparrow</span> Species of bird

The Tumbes sparrow is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-billed cotinga</span> Species of bird

The yellow-billed cotinga is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in the Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica and Panama. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland. It is threatened by habitat destruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-tipped cotinga</span> Species of bird

The black-tipped cotinga, also known as the white cotinga, is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in the Chocó region, from southeastern Panama to northwestern Ecuador ; its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The male, being white, is conspicuous, but in general it is an uncommon species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowy cotinga</span> Species of bird

The snowy cotinga is a medium-sized species of passerine bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in Central America where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forests. The male is white and the female pale grey and both sexes are readily recognisable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovely cotinga</span> Species of bird

The lovely cotinga is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in North and Central America from southern Mexico through Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and Nicaragua to Costa Rica with reports from western Panama. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest. The male is a bright turquoise blue while the female is greyish-brown with pale underparts. Because of its total population size and wide range, this species is not yet considered vulnerable. The bird is mentioned in the Florentine Codex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue cotinga</span> Species of bird

The blue cotinga is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in Colombia, north-west Ecuador, eastern and central Panama and western Venezuela in tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest. In relation to range and population size this species is not considered to be vulnerable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flame-crested tanager</span> Species of bird

The flame-crested tanager is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. Ten subspecies are currently recognized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-naped woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The golden-naped woodpecker is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. The species is very closely related to the beautiful woodpecker, which is sometimes treated as the same species. The two species, along with several other species, are sometimes placed in the genus Tripsurus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spot-bellied bobwhite</span> Species of bird

The spot-bellied bobwhite is a ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It is sometimes considered to be conspecific with the crested bobwhite, Colinus cristatus. As the latter species expands north into Costa Rica, it is likely that the two species will overlap in range in the future, but the Costa Rican subspecies of the spot-bellied is the least similar to the crested.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2018). "Colinus cristatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T45093141A132037999. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T45093141A132037999.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Emmet Reid Blake (1 July 1977). Manual of Neotropical Birds. University of Chicago Press. p. 447. ISBN   978-0-226-05641-8.
  3. Robert S. Ridgely; John A. Gwynne (June 1992). A Guide to the Birds of Panama: With Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Princeton University Press. p. 118. ISBN   0-691-02512-6.