Plumages, Molts, and Structure

The following description is based on Blake (1977); see also Ridgway and Friedmann (1946):

Adult male: Crown and nape buffy brown to olive brown. Thick crest on rear crown and nape, tawny. Forecrown and lores black, broadly bordered laterally with white. There also is a black line from the lores extending up and back above the eye, bordering the crown; continuous with this is a broader blackish slate line along the sides of the face below the auriculars, expanding posteriorly. Also a blackish stripe beginning below the eye, expanding posteriorly on the auriculars. Otherwise the sides of the head and neck are white. Throat white, with a black median stripes. Back, rump and feathers that cover upperwing coverts gray and brown stripped with cinnamon and spotted with black, fading to chestnut stripes and black spots posteriorly. Breast tawny cinnamon; sides of breast gray, boldly spotted with tawny cinnamon or buff. Belly dark reddish cinnamon. Flanks gray, broadly scalloped with cinnamon rufous. Vent black.

Adult female: Thick crest on nape, tawny color. Crown brown spotted black. Area around and behind the eye buff. Cheeks and sides of head tawny with black stripes. Back, rump and feathers that cover upper-wings brown with buff lines and stretch marks. Breast and belly vinaceous with black bars and spots, especially on sides of chest.

Immature: Similar to female; but juvenile male has more white on neck, and little black on belly.

Very little information. Juvenile, First Basic, and definitive molts probably similar to those of Montezuma Quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) but require further study (Stromberg 2000).

Iris: dark brown

Bill: black, tomia pale blue

Tarsi and toes: light blue; claws horn

Bare parts color data from Dickey and van Rossem (1938).

Total length: 20.5-23 cm (Howell and Webb 1995)

Linear measurements (from Ridgway and Friedmann 1946):

male (n = 15)

wing length: mean 123. mm (range 114-130 mm)

tail length: mean 53.0 mm (range 48.0-57.5 mm)

bill length (culmen from base): mean 16.1 mm (range 15.1-17.5 mm)

tarsus length: mean 32.1 mm (range 30.4-33.2 mm)

middle toe without claw: mean 22.5 mm (range 21.0-24.3 mm)

female (n = 9)

wing length: mean 115.7 mm (range 110.5-119.5 mm)

tail length: mean 48.8 mm (range 45.0-55.5 mm)

bill length (culmen from base): mean 15.6 mm (range 15.1-16.7 mm)

tarsus length: mean 30.9 mm (range 28.9-32.0 mm)

middle toe without claw: mean 22.0 mm (range 20.4-23-6 mm)

Mass: male, estimated mass 218 g; female, estimated mass 182 g (Johnsgard 1988)