Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) are found primarily in Mexico along the Sierra Madre mountains, however, their range extends briefly into the southwestern United States. States that have populations of montezuma quail are Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Populations are scattered along mountain ranges at elevations of 1000 m and above in eastern and southeastern Arizona, extending into western and southern New Mexico. Texas has a few isolated populations in the western portion of the state at similar elevations. Montezuma quail have been observed in Arizona at elevations as high as 3050 m on Escudilla Mountain, Green’s Peak and Mt. Baldy. (Brown, 1989; Sibley and Monroe, 1990)
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
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Bibliographic Citation: Greer, P. 2002. "Cyrtonyx montezumae" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at
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