The long-tailed wood partridge is a bird species in the family Odontophoridae, the New World quail. It is found only in Mexico.
Region
Mexican Highlands
Typical Environment
Occurs in montane pine-oak, oak, and cloud forests with dense understory, often on steep slopes and in ravines. It favors areas with abundant leaf litter for foraging and will also use second-growth and forest edges if cover remains thick. Local populations can be patchy, reflecting the continuity of suitable forest. Typically found in small coveys that keep to shaded ground cover and rarely venture into open areas.
Altitude Range
1200–3200 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
A secretive New World quail, the long-tailed wood partridge is notable for its unusually long, graduated tail compared with other quails. It inhabits dense montane forests and is often detected by its clear, whistled duets more than by sight. The species is sensitive to forest fragmentation and tends to stay close to thick understory cover.
photo from a camera trap
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; prefers to run through cover
Social Behavior
Usually found in pairs or small coveys, especially outside the breeding season. Likely monogamous, with ground nests hidden in dense vegetation. Coveys keep close contact through soft calls and scatter when flushed, regrouping shortly after.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A clear, whistled series often delivered as a duet by a pair, carrying well through forested slopes. Calls include sharp whistles and piping notes, most frequent at dawn and dusk.
Plumage
Rich brown to rufous-brown upperparts with fine barring and mottling; underparts grayish to rufous with barred flanks. The tail is long and graduated for a quail, often held low. Facial area grayish with paler throat and subtle streaking.
Diet
Omnivorous, taking seeds, fallen fruits, green shoots, and a variety of invertebrates such as beetles and ants. Forages by scratching in leaf litter and probing soft soil. Will opportunistically feed on berries and tender plant matter during wetter seasons.
Preferred Environment
Feeds primarily on the shaded forest floor, along trails, ravines, and dense thickets where leaf litter accumulates. Often forages near cover and retreats quickly into vegetation when disturbed.
