Bird Guide

Spot-bellied Bobwhite vs Yucatan Bobwhite

Spot-bellied Bobwhite (Colinus leucopogon)

Spot-bellied Bobwhite

Colinus leucopogon

Medium129 gForest

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 supercilium, 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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Spot-bellied Bobwhite
Recorded by Oliver Komar · Song · El Zamorano, San Antonio de Oriente, Departamento de Francisco Morazán, Honduras · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Anthony Mora Aguilar · CC BY 4.0
Yucatan Bobwhite (Colinus nigrogularis)

Yucatan Bobwhite

Colinus nigrogularis

Medium130 gShrubland

The male and female Yucatan bobwhite differ in appearance. They are compact, ground-dwelling birds about 20 centimetres (8 in) in length. The male has a black throat edged with white, a white forehead, a black eyestripe and a black crown. The upper neck, mantle and flanks are reddish-brown liberally speckled with white. The rest of the upper parts are brownish, barred withreddish-brown and grey. The underparts have a scalloped appearance as the white feathers are edged with black. The lower belly and under-tail coverts are cinnamon.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Maximilian Paradiz from Merida, Mexico · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Spot-bellied Bobwhite and Yucatan Bobwhite.