This ground-dwelling partridge has a long tail and short crest. It walks through undergrowth in moist mountain forest and secondary growth in Costa Rica.
It is about 33 cm long and weighs about 350 g. Its laterally compressed body is paired with a long arched tail and short crest. Adults have a pale buff face and throat, a slate-gray chest, and a brown back; juveniles show dark streaking on the throat.
Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridges use Costa Rican mountain habitats, including shaded coffee farms and riparian woodland.
A2013 report described eight nests found in1991–2011. Seven occupied dense grass clumps with side entrances and leaf-lined interiors.
One nest occupied a dead tree’s basal hollow in a coffee-farm living fence, showing another nesting setting.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The2013 paper describes habitat conversion and use of shaded coffee farms and riparian remnants. Nest records identify ground cover and tree-base hollows as relevant local features.