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Black-fronted wood quail

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Black-fronted wood quail
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Odontophoridae
Genus: Odontophorus
Species:
O. atrifrons
Binomial name
Odontophorus atrifrons
Allen,1900

Theblack-fronted wood quail(Odontophorus atrifrons) is abirdspecies in the familyOdontophoridae,the New World quail. It is found inColombiaandVenezuela.[2]

Taxonomy and systematics

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Some authors have suggested that the black-fronted wood quail andgorgeted wood quail(Odontophorus strophium),Tacarcuna wood quail(O. dialeucos),Venezuelan wood quail(O. columbianus), andblack-breasted wood quail(O. lecuolaemus) are actually a single species, but this treatment has not been accepted by the major avian taxonomic systems.[2][3][4][5][6]

The black-fronted wood quail has three subspecies, the nominateO. a. atrifrons,O. a. variegatus,andO. a. navai.[2]

Description

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The black-fronted wood quail is 24 to 30 cm (9.4 to 11.8 in) long. Males are estimated to weigh 311 g (11.0 oz) and females 298 g (10.5 oz). Both sexes have a distinctive black forehead ( "front" ), face, and throat. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a reddish brown crown, a gray back with blackvermiculation,and a browner rump. The closed wing shows small white spots. Its breast is blackish brown. The adult female is similar but has more reddish underparts. The juvenile is similar to the female.O. a. variegatushas a larger area of black on the crown than the nominate, its back is browner with a more intricate pattern, and its wings and belly have cinnamon tones.O. a. navaialso has a larger area of black on the crown and its body is drab dark brown with no reddish tones.[7]

Distribution and habitat

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The nominate subspecies of black-fronted wood quail is found in theSierra Nevada de Santa Martaof northeastern Colombia.O. a. variegatusis found at the northern end of Colombia's eastern Andes.O. a. navaiis found inSerranía del Perijá,which straddles the Colombia-Venezuela border. The species inhabits the floor of tropical and subtropicalmontane forest,usually at elevations between 1,200 and 3,100 m (3,900 and 10,200 ft) but as low as 700 m (2,300 ft) in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.[7]

Behavior

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Feeding

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The black-fronted wood quail forages in coveys of up to 10 birds, scratching in leaf litter for insects and berries.[7]

Breeding

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The black-fronted wood quail's breeding season appears to span at least from May to August. One nest has been found; it was a bed of dried leaves and small sticks in a hollow in the ground and contained three eggs.[7]

Vocalization

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The black-fronted wood quail's advertising call is a "rhythmic, whistled, series" described as "bob-a-white". It also has a rattling call and "gabbling calls" among covey mates.[7]

Status

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TheIUCNoriginally assessed the black-fronted wood quail as Near Threatened but has classed it as Vulnerable since 2000 "owing to its small range and population, both of which must be declining in response to habitat loss. The range is small and fragmented with recent records from only one area [as of 2016]."[1]

References

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  1. ^abBirdLife International(2016)."Black-fronted Wood-quailOdontophorus atrifrons".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2016.Retrieved13 September2021.
  2. ^abcGill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (July 2021)."IOC World Bird List (v 11.2)".RetrievedJuly 14,2021.
  3. ^Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded fromhttps:// birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/Retrieved August 25, 2021
  4. ^"Check-list of North and Middle American Birds".American Ornithological Society. June 29, 2021.RetrievedAugust 9,2021.
  5. ^Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society.https:// museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htmretrieved August 24, 2021
  6. ^HBW and BirdLife International (2020)Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the worldVersion 5. Available at:http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip[.xls zipped 1 MB] retrieved May 27, 2021
  7. ^abcdeCarroll, J. P., G. M. Kirwan, and C. J. Sharpe (2020). Black-fronted Wood-Quail (Odontophorus atrifrons), 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.bfwqua1.01retrieved September 13, 2021
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