Rowley's quail

Rowley's quail
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Galliformes
Family:	Odontophoridae
Genus:	Cyrtonyx
Species:	C. sallei
Subspecies:	C. s. rowleyi
Trinomial name
Cyrtonyx sallei rowleyi Phillips, 1966
Synonyms
• Cyrtonyx montezumae rowleyi A.R. Phillips

Rowley's quail (Cyrtonyx sallei rowleyi), also known as the southern Salle's quail, Sierra de Miahuatlán quail, or the Sierra de Miahuatlán Salle's quail is a subspecies of Salle's quail that is endemic to the Sierra de Miahuatlán of Oaxaca and Guerrero, Mexico.

Taxonomy

Rowley's quail was originally listed under Cyrtonyx montezumae (Montezuma quail), with Cyrtonyx montezumae sallei (now Cyrtonyx sallei) having very similar traits, for both subspecies were of a southern type. Cyrtonyx montezumae sallei then became Cyrtonyx sallei (Salle's quail), with Rowley's quail becoming a subspecies of Salle's quail (which did not have the necessary requirements to be an actual species).

Distribution

Rowley's quail is native to the Sierra de Miahuatlán (smaller-sized mountain range) within Oaxaca and Guerrero, Mexico, with some scattered individuals present in other nearby areas. Its range is made up of high-mountainous grasslands, and pine-oak forests, at upward elevations of 1,060-3,000 m in some parts of the mountain range.

Threats

Rowley's quail is under threat of deforestation, wildfires, poaching, and agricultural land clearance in its natural range. Other semi-common threats may include hunting and/or habitat destruction.