Spot-bellied Bobwhite
Encyclopedia
The Spot-bellied Bobwhite, Colinus leucopogon, 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 Spot-bellied is the least similar to Crested.
The Spot-bellied Bobwhite occurs in El Salvador
, Guatemala
, Honduras
, Nicaragua
and Costa Rica in open savanna
with bushes and trees and other open woodland.
, a dark line through the eye, a white or brown throat and a short crest. The lower belly is spotted but the rest of the underparts are pale, entirely spotted, or spotted with a rufous chest depending on the subspecies. The male weighs 140 g on average. The female is duller than the male with a buff supercilium and mottled throat; her average weight is 115 g.
The song, most often given by males in spring and summer, is a rising, scratchy, bob-Wight! or bob-bob-White!.
and will leave the nest approximately 24 hours after hatching.
This shy species feeds on seeds and insects, the latter especially during the breeding season. It is most active in the early morning and evening.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the New World quail
New World quail
The New World quails or Odontophorids are small birds only distantly related to the Old World Quails, but named for their similar appearance and habits. The American species are in their own family Odontophoridae, whereas Old World Quail are in the pheasant family Phasianidae...
family. It is sometimes considered to be conspecific with the Crested Bobwhite
Crested Bobwhite
The Crested Bobwhite is a species of bird in the Odontophoridae family.It is found in northern South America, extending through Panama to just reach Costa Rica...
, Colinus cristatus. As the latter species expands north into Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, it is likely that the two species will overlap in range in the future, but the Costa Rican subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of Spot-bellied is the least similar to Crested.
The Spot-bellied Bobwhite occurs in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and Costa Rica in open savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
with bushes and trees and other open woodland.
Description
This species is 22-24 cm long and shows geographically variable male plumage amongst its six subspecies. All forms have a brown back with black spotting on the nape. The head has a white superciliumSupercilium
The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head. Also known as an "eyebrow", it is distinct from the eyestripe, which is a line which runs...
, a dark line through the eye, a white or brown throat and a short crest. The lower belly is spotted but the rest of the underparts are pale, entirely spotted, or spotted with a rufous chest depending on the subspecies. The male weighs 140 g on average. The female is duller than the male with a buff supercilium and mottled throat; her average weight is 115 g.
The song, most often given by males in spring and summer, is a rising, scratchy, bob-Wight! or bob-bob-White!.
Behaviour
The Spot-bellied Bobwhite forms "coveys", groups of three to 15 birds during the non-breeding season. Both males and females incubate nests, with most nests predominantly incubated by females. About 10 white eggs are laid. The chicks are precocialPrecocial
In biology, the term precocial refers to species in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. The opposite developmental strategy is called "altricial," where the young are born or hatched helpless. Extremely precocial species may be called...
and will leave the nest approximately 24 hours after hatching.
This shy species feeds on seeds and insects, the latter especially during the breeding season. It is most active in the early morning and evening.