The bearded wood partridge is a bird species in the family Odontophoridae, the New World quail. It inhabits the Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico.
Region
Sierra Madre Oriental
Typical Environment
Occupies humid montane forests, especially cloud forest and dense pine-oak with thick understory and ravines. It favors steep slopes, gullies, and streamside thickets with abundant leaf litter. Birds may use edges, secondary growth, and selectively logged areas if cover remains dense. Localized populations occur in fragmented forest blocks.
Altitude Range
900–2800 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The bearded wood partridge is a large, ground-dwelling New World quail found only in Mexico’s Sierra Madre Oriental. It is notoriously secretive, preferring to run through dense undergrowth rather than fly, and is most detectable by its loud, whistled duets at dawn and dusk. Habitat loss in humid montane forests has made it increasingly uncommon.
Temperament
secretive and wary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low glides; prefers to run
Social Behavior
Typically seen in pairs or small family coveys that keep close to dense cover. Ground nester with a well-hidden nest in thick vegetation. Likely forms monogamous pairs during the breeding season, with coveys breaking up as pairs establish territories.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives loud, clear, whistled phrases often delivered in duets, carrying far in montane forests. Calls are most frequent at dawn and dusk and may accelerate or rise slightly in pitch in a brief series.
Plumage
Heavily patterned brown and rufous body with dusky, barred flanks and a grayer nape and mantle; face boldly marked with a dark throat and bristly 'beard'. Underparts warm rufous to chestnut with subtle mottling; upperparts show fine vermiculation and barring.
Diet
Feeds on seeds, fallen fruits and berries, green shoots, and a variety of invertebrates such as beetles, ants, and other insects. Forages by scratching through leaf litter on shaded forest floors. Seasonal availability of fruits and insects likely influences diet composition.
Preferred Environment
Forages under dense understory in cloud forest and pine-oak forest, along ravines, stream banks, and forest edges. Often uses trails, openings, and disturbed patches where leaf litter accumulates but cover remains high.
