Montezuma Quail
Cyrtonyx montezumae

f7.1 @ 1/200s, ISO:3200, Nikon D3S w 500mm

"Montezuma Quail," Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Montezuma quail is a stubby, secretive New World quail of Mexico and some nearby parts of the United States. Both sexes have the back and wing coverts tan with longitudinal light-buff streaks formed by the feather shafts and circular or transversely oblong black spots arranged in bars. A crest on the nape makes the profile distinctively long front-to-back. The bill is black above and bluish-gray below. The adult males have a striking, swirling black-and-white face pattern. A single tan plume lies flat over the crest. Their sides are blue-gray (often looking black) with bold spots, which in northern birds are white and in southern birds are white towards the front and chestnut towards the back. The middle of the chest and belly is dark brown in northern birds, lighter and tawnier in southern birds.

Ash Canyon, Sierra Vista, Arizona

04/26/2018