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WILDLIFE SPECIES:  Cyrtonyx montezumae

Introductory
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Cyrtonyx montezumae
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Sullivan, Janet. 1994. Cyrtonyx montezumae. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 
Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). 
Available: www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/animals/bird/cymo/all.html [].


ABBREVIATION : 
CYMO

COMMON NAMES : 
   Montezuma quail
   harlequin quail
   fool quail


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name for Montezuma quail is Cyrtonyx
montezumae (Vigors).  It is a member of the pheasant family, Phasianidae
[10,17,20].  Subspecies accepted by some authorities include:
        
C. m. ssp. mearnsi Nelson     Mearn's quail [10] 
C. m. ssp. merriami Nelson      Merriam's Montezuma quail [10] 
C. m. ssp. montezumae (Vigors) [10,17] 
C. m. ssp. rowleyi Phillips [10] 
C. m. ssp. sallei Verreaux     Salle's quail [10,17]


ORDER : 
Galliformes

CLASS : 
Bird

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
Merriam's Montezuma quail is Endangered [23].

OTHER STATUS : 
Information on state- and province-level protection status of animals in the   
United States and Canada is available at NatureServe, although recent   
changes in status may not be included. 

WILDLIFE DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Cyrtonyx montezumae
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
The Montezuma quail is resident locally from central and southeastern
Arizona, southern New Mexico, and extreme southwestern Texas south in
Mexico to Oaxaca [6,18].  Distributions of subspecies are as follows
[10]:

Cyrtonyx montezumae ssp. mearnsi occurs from west-central Texas, central
New Mexico, and central Arizona south to northern Coahuila.

Cyrtonyx montezumae ssp. merriami occurs in Veracruz, in the vicinity of
Mount Orizaba.

Cyrtonyx montezumae ssp. montezumae occurs in Michoacan, Oaxaca,
Distrito Federal, Hidalgo, Puebla, northern and eastern Nuevo Leon, and
west-central Tamaulipas.

Cyrtonyx montezumae ssp. rowleyi occurs in Guerreo.

Cyrtonyx montezumae ssp. sallei occurs from Michoacan south through
Guerreo to east-central Oaxaca.


ECOSYSTEMS : 
FRES21 Ponderosa pine


STATES : 


    
AZ
    
NM
    
TX
 



    
MEXICO
    

BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
    7  Lower Basin and Range
   13  Rocky Mountain Piedmont


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
   K019  Arizona pine forest


SAF COVER TYPES : 
   237  Interior ponderosa pine
   241  Western live oak


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
Montezuma quail are found in pine-oak (Pinus spp.-Quercus spp.)
woodlands and oak scrub with an understory of bunchgrasses and forbs
[6,10,17].  The range of Montezuma quail
ends at the pine-oak
woodlands of central Mexico and similar oak woods in the southwestern
United States.  In Arizona, Montezuma quail occur primarily in
oak-grasslands, and in New Mexico they are restricted to montane
habitats in scattered mountain ranges dominated by rank grasses [10].

BIOLOGICAL DATA AND HABITAT REQUIREMENTS
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Cyrtonyx montezumae
TIMING OF MAJOR LIFE HISTORY EVENTS : 
Nesting:  The breeding season of Montezuma quail is relatively late;
monogamous pairing occurs from March to May and nesting occurs from late
June to as late as the last half of September.  This timing coordinates
with timing of summer rains, which increase plant growth and insects
[10,14].

Clutch Size and Incubation:  Montezuma quail clutches range in size from
6 to 14 eggs, with an average clutch of 11 eggs [14].  For captive
birds, eggs were laid at a rate of about one egg every 3 days, which is
probably slower than for wild birds [10].  Incubation takes 25 or 26
days, with minor participation by the male.  Males are the primary
defenders of the nest [7].

Development of Young:  Newly hatched chicks are mobile and downy.  They
follow their parents, who show them how to find food [7].  The chicks
eat insects, seeds, and bulbs [10].  Fledging occurs about 10 days after
hatching [7].  Young birds forage independently by 2 weeks of age.  For
captive birds, adult weights are reached by about 10 to 11 weeks of age
[10].

Covey Formation:  Most fall coveys are composed of family units [10] and
range in size from 6 to 10 birds.  Coveys occupy relatively small home
ranges [7].  Leopold and McCabe [14] estimated that ranges encompassed
an area 200 yards (180 m) in radius.  They reported, however, that
coveys tended to move over a wider range for a short period in autumn
before establishing the home range [14].


PREFERRED HABITAT : 
The Montezuma quail prefers shaded grassy oak canyons, wooded mountain
slopes with bunchgrasses and bulb-producing forbs in the understory, and
rocky ravines [6].  Breeding habitat is the same [7].

Montezuma quail are found from from 3,500 to 10,000 feet (1,060-3,000 m)
in elevation [10,17].  There is some altitudinal migration with the
season; upward movements in the summer probably do not exceed a few
miles [10].


COVER REQUIREMENTS : 
Hiding Cover:  Montezuma quail are typically associated with dense, tall
grasses; foraging for bulbs occurs almost exclusively from grass cover
that is at least 1 foot (0.3 m) tall [1].

Nesting cover:  Montezuma quail nests are depressions scratched in the
ground at the base of trees, next to boulders, under shrubs, or in
grassy meadows [66].  They are lined and covered with dry grasses [18].


FOOD HABITS : 
Montezuma quail coveys feed in close groups by digging bulbs, foraging
for fruit, and ground-gleaning for seeds and insects.  The bulk of the
winter diet is comprised of bulbs of succulent forbs [6].  Winter foods
in order of importance include the bulbs of chufa flatsedge (Cyperus
esculentus), nutgrass (Cyperus rotunda) and other sedges (Cyperus spp.),
acorns, sunflower (Helianthus spp.) seeds, Brodiaea spp.  bulbs, and
prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) [10,14,15].  Acorns of Gambel oak (Quercus
gambellii) are important in southeastern Arizona; in one study acorns
made up as much as 40 percent of Montezuma quail diets [2,16].

In summer, woodsorrel (Oxalis spp.) bulbs are consumed [15].  Additional
foods include seeds of legumes, grasses, and true pinyon (Pinus edulis),
and juniper (Juniperus spp.) "berries" [18].

According to Martin and others [15] the animal portion of the winter
diet of Montezuma quail is limited.  Animals taken include beetles
(particularly ground beetles, darkling beetles, and weevils),
caterpillars, fly larvae, spiders, and centipedes [15].  Animal foods
are taken in quantity during the summer months, or whenever available [10,14].

If the supply of succulent foods is adequate, the Montezuma quail can
manage without access to surface water [10,14].



MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Management of Montezuma quail includes maintenance of winter habitat
since this quail is a year-round resident.  Winter habitat requirements
include areas where bulbs and acorns are available [7].

Montezuma quail density even in good habitat is usually low; an estimate
of one bird per 10 hectare was reported for northern Chihuahua [14].

Populations of Montezuma quail in undisturbed habitat tend to fluctuate
annually; reproductive success is positively correlated with the amount
of summer precipitation in any given year.  Any factors reducing the
amount of tall grass cover have an adverse effect on Montezuma quail.
In western Texas, the Montezuma quail is now only local and rare because
a large percentage of its native range has disappeared due to
overgrazing [10].  Heavy grazing reduces tall grass cover and increases
patchiness of the remaining cover.  Grazing 46 to 50 percent of an area
produces marginal conditions for Montezuma quail; heavier grazing
eliminates the quail [1].

Reducting Gambel oak stands for timber or grazing improvements could
reduce habitat value by reducing the acorns available for Montezuma
quail and other wildlife species in autumn and winter [16].

FIRE EFFECTS AND USE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Cyrtonyx montezumae
DIRECT FIRE EFFECTS ON ANIMALS : 
No specific information on the direct effect of fire on Montezuma quail
was available in the literature.  Even though this species inhabits
areas that experience moderately frequent fire, it is unlikely that
direct mortality from fire is a major threat to Montezuma quail.  Adult
birds would easily escape fire, and young birds are flightless for only
a very short time.  Nests and young birds may be vulnerable to fire, but
nesting usually occurs when summer rains make fires unlikely.


HABITAT RELATED FIRE EFFECTS : 
Fire stimulates sprouting of Gambel oak, and may therefore result in an
increase in acorn availability [5].  The ponderosa pine-grasslands or
ponderosa pine-Gambel oak woodlands which Montezuma quail inhabits are
maintained by frequent fire.  In many areas of the Southwest, fires in
ponderosa pine-grasslands occurred almost annually during the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries.  In areas where the landscape is more
dissected, fire-free intervals were generally 25 to 40 years.  Wildfire
suppression, coupled with grazing, has led to pronounced changes in the
character and physiognomy of ponderosa pine woodlands.  Increased shrub
and tree density and conversion of woodland to forest have led to
increased risk of intense, catastrophic wildfires [21].


FIRE USE : 
Prescribed fire can be used to stimulate sprouting of Gambel oak, a
species that may be important in Montezuma quail diets.  Prescribed fire
can be used to maintain ponderosa pine-Gambel oak or ponderosa
pine-grasslands in an open condition, which would improve habitat for
Montezuma quail [21].  Prescribed fire is sometimes used, however, to
reduce cover, density, and frequency of Gambel oak.  According to Clary
and Tiedemann [5], elimination of Gambel oak eliminates wildlife habitat
and represents short-sighted management.


An extensive body of research has been published on fire effects on animals
in semidesert grassland, oak savanna, and Madrean oak woodlands of southeastern
Arizona, including the response of Montezuma quail to fire. See the
Research Project Summary of this work for more information on
Montezuma quail and more than 100 additional species of birds, small
mammals, grasshoppers, and herbaceous and woody plant species.

FIRE REGIMES : 
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this 
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".

REFERENCES
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Cyrtonyx montezumae
REFERENCES : 

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       habitat by relict Montezuma quail in central Texas. Wilson Bulletin.
       102(2): 300-308.  [22954]

 .  Bishop, Richard A.; Hungerford, Charles R. 1965. Seasonal food selection
       of Arizona Mearns quail. Journal of Wildlife Management. 29(4): 813-819.
       [22955]

 .  Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
       reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
       associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
       U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
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 .  Brown, David E. 1979. Factors influencing reproductive success and
       population densities in Montezuma quail. Journal of Wildlife Management.
       43(2): 522-526.  [22956]

 .  Clary, Warren P.; Tiedemann, Arthur R. 1992. Ecology and values of
       Gambel oak woodlands. In: Ffolliott, Peter F.; Gottfried, Gerald J.;
       Bennett, Duane A.; [and others], technical coordinators. Ecology and
       management of oaks and associated woodlands: perspectives in the sw
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 .  Ehrlich, Paul R.; Dobkin, David S.; Wheye, Darryl. 1988. The birder's
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