Appearance
The black-fronted wood quail is 24 to 30 cm long. Males are estimated to weigh 311 g and females 298 g. Both sexes have a distinctive black forehead, face, and throat. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a reddish brown crown, a gray back with black vermiculation, and a browner rump. The closed wing shows small white spots. Its breast is blackish brown. The adult female is similar but has more reddish underparts. The juvenile is similar to the female. "O. a. variegatus" has a larger area of black on the crown than the nominate, its back is browner with a more intricate pattern, and its wings and belly have cinnamon tones. "O. a. navai" also has a larger area of black on the crown and its body is drab dark brown with no reddish tones.Distribution
The nominate subspecies of black-fronted wood quail is found in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of northeastern Colombia. "O. a. variegatus" is found at the northern end of Colombia's eastern Andes. "O. a. navai" is found in Serranía del Perijá, which straddles the Colombia-Venezuela border.Status
The IUCN originally assessed the black-fronted wood quail as Near Threatened but has classed it as Vulnerable since 2000 "owing to its small range and population, both of which must be declining in response to habitat loss. The range is small and fragmented with recent records from only one area [as of 2016]."Habitat
The species inhabits the floor of tropical and subtropical montane forest, usually at elevations between 1,200 and 3,100 m but as low as 700 m in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.Reproduction
The black-fronted wood quail's breeding season appears to span at least from May to August. One nest has been found; it was a bed of dried leaves and small sticks in a hollow in the ground and contained three eggs.Food
The black-fronted wood quail forages in coveys of up to 10 birds, scratching in leaf litter for insects and berries.References:
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