Crested bobwhite
Crested bobwhite | |
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On Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Galliformes |
Family: | Odontophoridae |
Genus: | Colinus |
Species: | C. cristatus
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Binomial name | |
Colinus cristatus (Linnaeus, 1766)
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Synonyms | |
Tetrao cristatus Linnaeus, 1766 |
The crested bobwhite (Colinus cristatus) is a species of
Description
Adult crested bobwhite are about 178 to 216 millimetres (7.0 to 8.5 in) long. The sexes are very similar in appearance. The long feathers on the fore-head and crown are pale buff or white, and the crest feathers may be dark. The back and sides of the neck are marbled in black and white and the throat is white or buff, sometimes spotted with black. The upper parts are mottled black, brown and grey. The underparts are pale, with buff, cinnamon and black markings. The eye is brown, the beak black and the legs bluish-grey. The female is slightly browner than the male.[2]
Behaviour
The crested bobwhite occurs in small groups on the ground in or near thick cover and its behaviour is rather similar to that of the northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). The diet consists of buds, shoots, leaves and small invertebrates. The male's call, heard in the breeding season, is distinctive; a fast, husky, three-syllable "quoit bob-white" or a two-syllable "oh, wheet".[3]
Status
The crested bobwhite has a very wide range and is common in much of that range. The population seems to be on the increase and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".[1]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-226-05641-8.
- ISBN 0-691-02512-6.