North GroundHuntNorth Ground Hunt — return to North Ground
Species authority page

Montezuma quail

Cyrtonyx montezumae · Quail · Upland game birds

Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae): 8-10 in; small, chunky quail with a puffy, rounded head. Male: bold clownish black-and-white face pattern and many white spots on a chestnut belly. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the montezuma quail map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Male Montezuma quail on rocky grassland
Adobe Stock · Standard License (asset 663629469)
Scientific name
Cyrtonyx montezumae
Family
Odontophoridae
Range
In the United States found only in the Mexican border region of the Southwest and Texas.
Biology

How to identify it

8-10 in; small, chunky quail with a puffy, rounded head. [1]

Male: bold clownish black-and-white face pattern and many white spots on a chestnut belly. [1]

Female: pale brown and subtly marked, but has the same head shape. [1]

Call a soft, descending whinny. [1]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Do not identify Montezuma quail from colour alone. Compare structure, size, range and the listed similar species before making a field decision.[1]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Grassy oak canyons and wooded mountain slopes with bunchgrass; needs tall grass and usually oaks. [1]

Open oak or pine-oak woodland and grassy hills with scattered trees; avoids low deserts. [1]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Crouches motionless until nearly stepped on, then explodes into whirring flight. [1]

Fall and winter coveys usually under ten birds, often using a very small area. [1]

Digs in soil with its feet for bulbs (wood sorrel, nutgrass) and scratches leaf litter under oaks for insects, acorns and seeds. [1]

Mostly resident; northern birds may move to lower elevations in winter. [1]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

In the United States found only in the Mexican border region of the Southwest and Texas.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. National Audubon Society · reviewed 2026-09-30

    National Audubon Society