Montezuma quail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Montezuma quail |
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Cyrtonyx
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montezumae
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The Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) is a small, shy bird found in Mexico and parts of the United States. People also call it the Mearns's quail, the harlequin quail (because the male has cool patterns), or the fool quail (because it often stays still when people get close). This quail is part of the New World quail family.
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About the Montezuma Quail's Name
The Montezuma quail got its official name in 1830 from an Irish scientist named Nicholas Aylward Vigors. He first called it Ortyx montezumae. Later, it was placed in a group of birds called Cyrtonyx. The name montezumae comes from Moctezuma Xocoyotzin, a famous Aztec Emperor.
Sometimes, quails from the southern parts of their home are thought to be a different type, called Cyrtonyx sallei. The Montezuma quail is also quite similar to the ocellated quail, which lives further south.
Different Types of Montezuma Quail
Scientists recognize two main types, or subspecies, of Montezuma quail:
- C. m. mearnsi: This type lives in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
- C. m. montezumae: This type lives in central Mexico.
What Does the Montezuma Quail Look Like?
This quail is about 22 centimeters (8.75 inches) long. It's one of the shorter quails in North America. But it's quite plump, weighing about 180 grams (6 ounces). It has a very round body and a short tail.
Both male and female quails have tan backs and wings. These parts have light streaks and black spots. They also have a special crest on the back of their head, which makes their head look long from front to back. Their beak is black on top and bluish-gray underneath.
Male and Female Differences
Adult males have a very striking black-and-white pattern on their face that looks like swirls. They also have a single tan feather that lies flat over their crest. Their sides are usually blue-gray with bold white spots. The middle of their chest and belly is dark brown.
Females have a hint of the male's face pattern. Their undersides are light brown with a few thin black lines. Young quails look similar to females. Young males get their adult side patterns early, but their face patterns don't show up until early winter.
Special Claws
One cool thing about these quails is their long, curved claws. They use these claws to dig for food!
What Sounds Do They Make?
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The Montezuma quail has a special call to gather its group or mark its territory. It sounds like "six to nine notes going down in pitch," or a "quavering whinny" that carries far.
The male's "song" to find a mate is "an eerie, sad, vibrating, descending whistle" or "an insect-like buzzing." It starts high and goes lower. Unlike other quails that sing from high places like fenceposts, the Montezuma quail sings from the ground. They also make other sounds.
Where Do Montezuma Quails Live?
You can find these quails from Oaxaca in Mexico, north through the mountains of central and southeastern Arizona, central and southwestern New Mexico, and West Texas. They don't live in deserts or the Río Balsas valley.
They like to live in open woods, especially those with oak trees. They also like pine-oak and juniper woods that have grass at least 30 centimeters (1 foot) tall. They particularly like hillsides and canyons. Sadly, the areas where they live are getting smaller and more spread out.
How Do Montezuma Quails Behave?
In the fall, Montezuma quails don't form big groups like most other American quails. A typical group, called a covey, has about eight birds, usually just parents and their young. Sometimes, bigger groups of more than 25 birds have been seen. At night, these coveys sleep on slopes facing southeast, huddled around a rock or clump of grass, facing outwards.
These birds don't move around much. A pair or covey usually looks for food within 50 meters of where they were the day before. In fall and winter, their territories are small, only 1 to 5 hectares. During breeding season, pairs spread out, and their territories can be as big as 50 hectares. They don't seem to make big seasonal journeys.
When people come near, Montezuma quails often crouch very still in tall grass instead of running away. They might let you get as close as 1 meter before flying off with a "loud, popping wing noise." Sometimes, people have even caught them by hand because they stay so still!
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Male quails start singing in February or March, but they don't start building nests until July or August. This is when the "monsoon" rains happen in their area. This long wait between finding a mate and nesting is unusual for quails.
Their nests are also special. They build a grass dome with only one entrance, which is more detailed than most nests in their family. A female usually lays about 11 eggs, but it can be anywhere from 6 to 12. The eggs are "whitish" or "chalk-white." Both the male and female take turns sitting on the eggs for about 25 days. This is 2 days longer than most American quails. Males also help take care of the young birds. In birds kept by humans, males might even help build the nest and sit on the eggs.
What Do Montezuma Quails Eat?
The Montezuma quail eats insects, especially in the summer. They also eat plants. Some very important plant foods for them are Oxalis (a type of plant with edible bulbs) and sedge tubers. They dig these up from the ground.
The holes they dig, often at the base of bushes and rocks, can be as deep as 8 centimeters (3 inches). These holes are a good sign that the birds are nearby. Sometimes, their crops (a part of their throat where food is stored) contain bulbs of plants that haven't even grown above ground yet. How the quails find these hidden bulbs is still a mystery!
Montezuma Quails and People
Like most birds in their group, the Montezuma quail is a popular bird for hunting. In the United States, regulated hunting doesn't seem to hurt their numbers much. However, it might have a bigger effect in Mexico.
A bigger problem for these quails seems to be cattle grazing. It's not because the cattle eat their food. Instead, the cattle eat the tall grass and plants that the quails use to hide. Grazing is especially harmful in years when there isn't much summer rain. But some ways of grazing might not harm the quail populations.
