Spot-bellied Bobwhite
Colinus leucopogon
The Spot-bellied Bobwhite (Colinus leucopogon) is a rare new world quail found in 5 countries, weighing about 129 g. The spot-bellied bobwhite is a ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family.
About the Spot-bellied Bobwhite
The spot-bellied bobwhite is a ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It is sometimes considered to be conspecific with the crested bobwhite, Colinus cristatus. As the latter species expands north into Costa Rica, it is likely that the two species will overlap in range in the future, but the Costa Rican subspecies of the spot-bellied is the least similar to the crested.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
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.
What the Spot-bellied Bobwhite sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, with peak activity in May. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Spot-bellied Bobwhite?
- This species is 22–24 cm long and shows geographically variable male plumage amongst its six subspecies. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Spot-bellied Bobwhite?
- The Spot-bellied Bobwhite is a medium sized bird weighing about 129 g.
- Where can you see a Spot-bellied Bobwhite?
- The Spot-bellied Bobwhite occurs in 5 countries, including Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala.
- What does a Spot-bellied Bobwhite sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Spot-bellied Bobwhite on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Spot-bellied Bobwhite?
- The Spot-bellied Bobwhite is most easily confused with the Yucatan Bobwhite, the Crested Bobwhite and the Northern Bobwhite.
- Is the Spot-bellied Bobwhite endangered?
- The Spot-bellied Bobwhite is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Spot-bellied Bobwhite for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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