Description.—A medium-sized, very short-tailed, long-toed, crested quail; bill emall and 
slender; middle toe and claw longer than tarsus. Sexes fairly similar in coloration, the 
male with a cinnamon brown throat and gray breast atreaked with white, the female with 
grayish throat and brown breast. 
Adult’ male.—-Crest bushy when erected, dark brown, its lateral feathers with 
brown; breast 
buff shaft streaks. A line above eye, cheek, chin, and throat cinnamon ; ' 
sides, and flanks light brownish gray, broadly streaked with whitish, abdomen mai tien; 
wpperparts finely mottled brown and gray; hindneck streaked with buff and waaay 
scapulare and tertiaries with large black spots on inner webs. Bill blackish-brown, 
iris brown, feet and legs grayish horn. ; : 
Adult female.--The cinnamon coloration of the male replaced by grayish white; 
the breast hazel brown or paler. 
Immature.--Differs from the adult in having the throat whitish; chest, breast, 
and sides vinaceous: a few of the chest feathers barred with black. 
Measurements.-- 
Male (10) Female (6) - 
Wing, 123-137 (133) Wing, 125-133 (128.2) 
Fail, 51~56.5 (53.7) Tail, 49-53.5 (51.3) 
Tarsus, 34.3-37.4 (35.9) Tarsus, 32-34.3 (33.5) 
Culmen from base, 16.8-17.8 (17.3) Culmen from base, 16-16.8 (16.4) 
General Distribution.--Central Chiapas, south through western Guatemala. 
Distribution in Guatemala.--Cloud forests of the Pacific Cordillera, chiefly at eleva- 
tions from 7,000 to 8,500 feet. 
Recordg.--Near Patzin, May 3, 1946; near Nebaj, April 25-26, 1947. Two large quail, 
probably of thie species, were flushed near Chemal, Huehuetenango, May 1-2, 1947. It was 
reported by local hunters to occur near Tecpén, Nebaj, Chajul, and Cotzal. 
In literature it has been recorded from: Volcdn de Santa Marfa (Neleon)s 
Volcdn de Fuego, Quetzaltenango, Duefias (Salvin and Godman): Tecpd4n, Quetzaltenango, 
Voledn San Lucas, Finca La Perla, forty miles northeast of Barrillos (Griscom). 
Habits and Hunting.--This shy, wary quail is a denizen of the cloud forest of the Pacific 
cordillera, where it is usually to be found among dense vegetation. It is reported to 
venture forth into some of the adjacent coffee groves, especially during the monthe of 
September or October through January, at which season it is apt to be in flocks. 
Those we saw and heard were in the heavy cloud forest above Finca Helvetia at 
an elevation of 5,000 feet and higher. They were probably nesting at that time. 
We obtained no field information on the nesting of this species but reports 
indicated that it breeds in April and May, and probably later. 
Only one of these birds was flushed in the cloud forest above Finca Helvetia, 
the others escaped by darting through the concealing undergrowth. This seems to be 
characteristic of them, which gives the hunter much leas opportunity for a shot, 
Griscom wrote, "This little-known quail is a typical cloud-forest species of 
the Pacific cordillera, and most of the specimens have been taken from 7,000 to 8,500 feet. 
Salvin found it to be one of the commonest quail on the Volcdn de Fuego, and shot most of 
his specimens on the ground, as the bird preferred to escape by sitting close or running, 
rather than taking wing. The immature bird is quite different from the adult in having a 
whitish throat, the chest, breast, and sides a warm vinaceous, gradually passing to whitish 
on the abdomen. A few of the chest feathers have black bars,” 
Anthony was quoted by Griscom as follows, "A more or less common bird of the 
forests, seldom venturing into the open. Along the deep shaded trails in the rain forest 
of Voledn San Lucas one constantly finds where flocks of these quail have 'dusted' in the 
damp leaves, leaving rounded depressions such as are made by barnyard fowls in the dry 
earth. The birds are so dark in color that they blend into the color scheme of the semi- 
dark forest and dead leaves, making it very difficult to see them until they take wing, 
whisk around the shoulder of the hill, and are lost. Several flocks of ten or a dozen 
were seen above Tecpdén, in the heavy oak and pine forest. 
"At Finca Perla, two of these birds were kept in separate cages on different 
sides of the house. I was told that it was for the sake of their 'song', which they would 
sing in the early morning, but that there would be no song, if the birds could see each 
other. I had often listened to the calls of this quail, from the edge of the forest, and 
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