Searching for one of Honduras' mystical birds

               Ocellated Quail occur only in northern Central America from extreme southern Mexico to northern Nicaragua.  They survive in pine-oak forests with grassy or slightly brushy understories in higher evaluation areas from about 1,700 feet to about 10,000 feet.  Even in these habitats, they are not common or very numerous.  BirdLIfe International considers them to be “near threatened” in large part because of habitat loss.  No protected areas in the region focus specifically on this kind of habitat.

Ocellated Quail are one of the mystical birds of Honduras. Photo credit: John Paul Cahill.

               You have to work very hard to encounter these birds. 

Typical habitat for Ocellated Quail -- mid- to high-elvation

pine-oak forest with grassy understory.  Photo credit: Jody Enck.

First, you have to know where there is suitable habitat.  Rarely is this close to any road.  You have to hike, and often climb in elevation, to get close to where these birds live.  Even then, there is no guarantee that you can locate the birds.

               These quail are masters of disguise.  Their physical plumage characteristics of brown, black, and white streaks and spots, along with what looks like camouflaged face paint allows these birds to blend seamlessly into their surroundings.  They also have this incredible behavior of freezing in place and holding very tight when any potential predator, including humans, is nearby.  If and when they do flush, it is with an explosive whoosh of wings that can scare the “bejeebers” out of anyone nearby.  All of these things give the bird an element of cache and mystique.

               On Friday 28 October, I was invited to tag along with some members of Club Las Tanunas to search for this mystical bird.  We drove from the town of Gracias up into the buffer zone of Celaque National Park.  As I’ve noted previously in this blog, National Park buffer zones are used fairly heavily for a variety of human needs. 

Cattle grazing is one of the uses of the resources in buffer zones

of National Parks in Honduras.  Photo credit: Jody Enck.

The place we went was fenced into a series of forested pastures by a local farmer.  Club Las Tanunas knows the farmer and lets him know when they will be birding in the area so he knows who will be walking in among his cattle.

               You don't just stumble blindly through the forest when

Members of Club Las Tanunas spreading out to search for

Ocellated Quail.  Photo credit: Jody Enck.

searching for these birds.  Club Las Tanunas has developed a special way of searching appropriate habitat.  They spread out in a line and move carefully and silently through the habitat looking for any sign of the presence of these birds. 

               Partly because of not wanting to scare the birds far ahead of us, and partly out of reverence for this mystical bird, we approached our search with incredible stealth.  We spoke in hushed voices, and used hand-signals.  We walked slowly and stopped often to scan ahead of us with binoculars.  All of these elements of the search heightened my excitement and anticipation of what might come.

          However, I do have to say that in the back of my mind I wondered if I was being taken on a good old-fashioned "snipe hunt" from the Boy Scout days of my youth.  For those of you who don't know, a "snipe hunt" involves taking a new Scout (a Tenderfoot) out at dusk to search for a mythical and mystical "snipe."  The Tenderfoot sometimes is given a bag to use to try to capture one of these creatures.  Older, more experienced Scouts often spread out and try to push a "snipe" toward the Tenderfoot.  It's all a big joke.  They are not really trying to capture a real snipe or any other real animal.  It's just a way of demonstrating how gullible and unknowing the Tenderfoot is. 

Is the Ocellated Quail a real bird, or was the gullible guy

from out of town being led on a "snipe hunt?"  Photo credit:

Jody Enck.

               Was I being led on an elaborate "snipe hunt?"

               I took my place in the line of searchers and moved slowly up-slope.  For about twenty minutes, we walked and stopped, glassed the area ahead, then walked and stopped some more.  A couple of times, someone would motion to me to come over to them to see evidence that birds were in the area.

               Like almost all gallinaceous birds, Ocellated Quail scratch

Ocellated Quail dig and scratch for food on the forest floor.

Here is a small depression scratched out beside my 4=inch

by 8-inch field notebook.  Photo credit: Jody Enck.

in the dirt looking for insect and plant food.  Finding evidence of birds in the area added even more to the anticipation.  (Or, was this all an elaborate ruse for an unsuspecting Gringo who was gullible enough to believe the stories about this mythical bird?)

               At one point in our search, we angled up a somewhat steeper side-slope.  The going was a bit steep, but not too taxing.  Still, I stopped to catch my breath and to scan the surrounding area.  I stood there for five seconds... ten seconds... fifteen seconds...  All of a sudden, the ground four feet to my right exploded in a noisy flash of feathers as three quail burst from their hiding spot and flushed up the slope. 

               This was not a "snipe hunt" after all!  Ocellated Quail are real birds, challenging birds, special birds. 

               I wasn't the only one of the searchers who almost hit the ground at the exploding wings!  Our hearts raced as our excitement peaked.  We continued up-slope and a little to the right.  Along the way, we flushed another bird -- this one a female.

               Then we all stopped on the side of a slope, arranged in a bit of a semi-circle.  Somewhere below us was another quail.  I couldn't see this one, but Edwin Miranda could.  He got incredible video of a beautiful male quail walking quickly on the forest floor ahead of him.  (At some point in the future, I'll try to post a link to his video). 

               After a few minutes, this bird also flushed.  It flew right between Carlos Caballero and me, and then up and over the top of the ridge.  Our hunt for the mystical Ocellated Quail was a success!  Like all successful endeavors, we shared in the telling and re-telling of the story... Here is where the bird was... This is what I saw... This is how it makes me feel...  Conversations about this experience continued into the evening.  Even the next morning on a different field trip with more club members, the five other birders who were with me on Friday reveled in telling the story of the successful search to others.

Carlos Caballero from Club Las Tanunas has a close encounter with an Ocellated Quail. 

Photo credit: William Orellano. 

               The search for this bird, and our success in finding it, allowed us to share an experience that brought us closer together.  This particular afternoon allowed us to bond as birders, and the experience we shared separated us from others who have not shared that experience.  These kinds of experiences and the bonds they create are some of the reasons why Honduras is such a special place for birders.