Southern distribution and evidence of migration in the Eared Quetzal (Euptilotis neoxenus) in west-central Jalisco, Mexico

Abstract

The Eared Quetzal (Euptilotis neoxenus) is a Mexican endemic. It occurs from northwestern to west-central Mexico. It is considered threatened in Mexican environmental law. The lack of knowledge about its ecology and distribution during the nonbreeding season motivated our investigation. While inventorying the avifauna at Sierra del Águila and Sierra de Manantlán in west-central Mexico, we recorded the Eared Quetzal only from late October to early March. According to GBIF (n = 24 records), eBird (n = 4 records), as well as our own field findings (n = 14 records), this species can be observed year round occasionally in Arizona, the United States, and regularly from Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, and Nayarit in Mexico. However, Eared Quetzals can only be recorded from November to May in the states of Jalisco and Michoacán. This suggests that at least some individuals of Eared Quetzal undertake migrations. Its potential distribution in central and southern Jalisco includes 9 forested mountain ranges. In addition to distributional data and evidence of migration, we provide noteworthy observations on its natural history.