This ground-dwelling quail has a conspicuous black throat and white facial lines in the adult male. It rests in small groups among grass.
The adult male has a black throat and white lines on the face. Black-edged white feathers make the breast and belly look scaled.
In Belize, Black-throated Bobwhites occupy coastal lowland pine savannas with grasses, palms and shrubs. They gather in coveys in the wet season and separate into smaller groups during the dry-season breeding period.
Visual surveys of four areas in Manatee Forest Reserve in 2006 recorded 36 birds in four encounters in January, averaging nine per encounter. Monthly encounter averages from March to June were about one to two birds.
Some dry-season months brought more encounters while the groups encountered were smaller. The records reflected a seasonal change from larger coveys to smaller breeding groups.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The 2009 report highlights the need to understand populations and hunting impacts in Belize. Fires and seasonal flooding also occurred at the study site, but their immediate effects on bird numbers were unresolved. Continued monitoring should account for seasonal changes in grouping.