Ruddy quail-dove

Scientific name: Geotrygon montana

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Males display rich chestnut-rufous plumage on the head and underparts with iridescent purple-bronze spots on the wings; females are duller olive-brown with similar but less prominent spotting. Both sexes are compact with small, rounded heads and relatively long tails for a quail-dove.

Size and weight

Adults weigh 60–90 g; body length 20–23 cm. Sexual dimorphism in coloration is pronounced, but size overlap between sexes is substantial.

Habitat

Ruddy quail-doves inhabit dense understory and floor vegetation in humid montane forests, typically from 600–2,400 m elevation. They favor areas with thick leaf litter, fallen logs, and tangled brush near streams or ravines.

Distribution

Range extends from southern Mexico through Central America to Bolivia and northwestern Argentina, with greatest abundance in humid montane forests of the Andes and Sierra Madre ranges. Altitudinal preference increases with latitude.

Diet

Forages primarily on fallen seeds (especially legumes and small fruits) and invertebrates gleaned from the forest floor and low vegetation; dietary composition shifts seasonally with seed availability.

Behaviour

Most active during early morning and late afternoon hours, moving quietly through dense cover in pairs or alone. Typically terrestrial and reluctant to fly, preferring to walk and freeze when disturbed; soft, mournful cooing calls heard at dawn.

Hunting tips

Look for small scratches and shallow depressions in leaf litter where birds forage, and listen for their diagnostic soft cooing calls in early dawn or dusk. Move slowly and deliberately through thick undergrowth, pausing frequently to flush birds from dense cover; approach uphill and into wind to mask noise and scent. These birds hold tight until nearly stepped upon, so patience and deliberate stalking through productive understory habitat yields best results.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 2 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.