Title
Reproduction of the Chestnut Wood-quail and notes on its ecology
Author(s)
Fierro-Calderón, K., Franco, P.
Abstract
The Chestnut Wood-quail (Odontophorus hyperythrus), a Colombian endemic, has been classified as near-threatened mainly due to habitat loss and fragmentation, and to a lesser extent hunting. Thus, the purpose of this work was to document the natural history of Chestnut Wood-quails in the Otún Quimbaya Fauna and Flora Sanctuary, a protected area in the central Andes of Colombia. We conducted monthly surveys over 14 months in an area of 18 ha. We found that Chestnut Wood-quails formed family groups of up to nine individuals, which maintain the same home range throughout the year. During the day they move about on the forest floor foraging for food in the leaf-litter, and at dusk they climb to roosting branches at heights of 6 to 10 m in some fixed trees. The nest is a short tunnel on the ground built with leaves and twigs, and the female incubates four to five eggs during 27 to 29 days. The reproductive habits of the Chestnut Wood-quails are similar to the anecdotal information available for other species of the genus.
Keywords
Chestnut Wood-quail; Ecology; Endemic; Odontophorus hyperythrus; Reproduction; Threatened species
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DMX731100000