Mondo Quaglia

 

Le quaglie del Nuovo Mondo o Odontophoridae sono piccoli uccelli che sono lontanamente legate alle quaglie del vecchio mondo, ma chiamati cosi per il loro aspetto e le abitudini simili.

Le specie americane sono nella loro propria famiglia Odontophoridae, mentre le quaglie Vecchio Mondo sono in famiglia fagiano Phasianidae.

La famiglia si trova dal Canada fino al sud del Brasile, e due specie, la quaglia della California e il colino di Virginia (Bobwhite), sono stati introdotti con successo in Nuova Zelanda.

Occupano una varietà di habitat che vanno dalle foreste tropicali, subtropicali e temperate, alla savana, adattandosi a vivere anche nelle aree coltivate, dal livello del mare sino a 3300 m di altitudine.. 

Ci sono 32 specie in nove generi.

 

Sono uccelli terrestri, di piccole-medie dimensioni, con corpo compatto, ali piccole e zampe robuste.

New World quails are generally short winged, necked and tailed (although the genus Dendrortyx is long-tailed). The bills are short, slightly curved and serrated. The legs are short and powerful, and lack the spurs of many Old World galliforms. Although they are capable of short bursts of strong flight New World quails prefer to walk, and will run from danger (or hide), taking off explosively only as a last resort. Plumage varies from dull to spectacular, and many species have ornamental crests or plumes on the head. There is moderate sexual dichromisim in plumage, with males having brighter plumage.

Behaviour and ecology[edit]

The New World quails are shy diurnal birds and generally live on the ground; even the tree quails which roost in high trees generally feed mainly on the ground. They are generalists with regards to their diet, taking insects, seeds, vegetation and tubers. Desert species in particular consume a lot of seeds.

Most of the information about the breeding biology of New World quails comes from North American species, which have been better studied than those of the Neotropics. The family is generally thought to be monogamous, and nest are constructed on the ground. Clutch sizes are large, a situation typical within the Galliformes, ranging from 3–6 eggs for the tree quails and wood quails, and as high as 10-15 for the northern bobwhite.Incubation takes between 16-30 days depending on the species. Chicks are precocial and quickly leave the nest to accompany the parents in large family groups.

Northern Bobwhites and California Quail are popular gamebirds with many taken by hunters, but these species have also had their ranges increased to meet hunting demand and are notthreatened. They are also artificially stocked. Some species are threatened by human activity, such as the bearded tree quail of Mexico, which is threatened by habitat loss and illegal hunting.

 

La famiglia comprende i seguenti generi e specie:

• Genere Dendrortyx

  • Dendrortyx barbatus Gould, 1846 - pernice boschereccia barbuta

  • Dendrortyx leucophrys (Gould, 1844) - pernice boschereccia capocamoscio

  • Dendrortyx macroura (Jardine & Selby, 1828) - pernice boschereccia codalunga

• Genere Oreortyx

  • Oreortyx pictus (Douglas, 1829) - quaglia di montagna

• Genere Callipepla

  • Callipepla squamata (Vigors, 1830) - quaglia squamata

  • Callipepla douglasii (Vigors, 1829) - quaglia elegante

  • Callipepla californica (Shaw, 1798) - quaglia della California

  • Callipepla gambelii (Gambel, 1843) - quaglia di Gambel

• Genere Philortyx

  • Philortyx fasciatus (Gould, 1844) - quaglia fasciata

• Genere Colinus

  • Colinus virginianus (Linnaeus, 1758) - colino della Virginia

  • Colinus nigrogularis (Gould, 1843) - colino golanera

  • Colinus leucopogon (Lesson, 1842) - colino macchiato

  • Colinus cristatus (Linnaeus, 1766) - colino crestato

• Genere Odontophorus

  • Odontophorus gujanensis (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) - quaglia boschereccia marmorizzata

  • Odontophorus capueira (von Spix, 1825) - quaglia boschereccia alimacchiate

  • Odontophorus melanotis Salvin, 1865 - quaglia boschereccia guancenere

  • Odontophorus erythrops Gould, 1859 - quaglia boschereccia fronterossiccia

  • Odontophorus atrifrons J.A.Allen, 1900 - quaglia boschereccia frontenera

  • Odontophorus hyperythrus Gould, 1858 - quaglia boschereccia castana

  • Odontophorus melanonotus Gould, 1861 - quaglia boschereccia dorsoscuro

  • Odontophorus speciosus Tschudi, 1843 - quaglia boschereccia pettorossiccio

  • Odontophorus dialeucos Wetmore, 1963 - quaglia boschereccia del Tacarcuna

  • Odontophorus strophium (Gould, 1844) - quaglia boschereccia dalla gorgiera

  • Odontophorus columbianus Gould, 1850 - quaglia boschereccia del Venezuela

  • Odontophorus leucolaemus Salvin, 1867 - quaglia boschereccia pettonero

  • Odontophorus balliviani Gould, 1846 - quaglia boschereccia facciastriata

  • Odontophorus stellatus (Gould, 1843) - quaglia boschereccia stellata

  • Odontophorus guttatus (Gould, 1838) - quaglia boschereccia macchiata

• Genere Dactylortyx

  • Dactylortyx thoracicus (Gambel, 1848) - quaglia canora

• Genere Cyrtonyx

  • Cyrtonyx montezumae (Vigors, 1830) - quaglia di Montezuma

  • Cyrtonyx ocellatus (Gould, 1837) - quaglia ocellata

• Genere Rhynchortyx

  • Rhynchortyx cinctus (Salvin, 1876) - quaglia facciafulva