The Banded Quail is a small quail of south-central Mexico. Adults have a short crest and rows of black bars across the underparts.
Adults have a small dark crest, cinnamon-colored head, neck, and upper breast, and a pale throat. The whitish underparts carry many black bars; the gray-brown back and wings have buff and black barring. The sexes look similar, although the female’s crest is shorter.
Banded Quail occupy western Mexican landscapes with seasonal dry forest, fields and weedy patches. Near Autlán in Jalisco, their surroundings can also include houses and grazing land.
On 20 August 2005, Ian MacGregor-Fors observed seven birds on a track near Autlán at 935 m. Binocular views of the erect dark crest and black-barred white belly confirmed their identity. The site lay outside a range outline published in 1995.
A review of literature and specimen records found observations around Autlán dating to 1949. Published in 2006, the note combined the encounter with older evidence to refine the map. Both living birds and preserved records helped reveal where the species occurred.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Interviews and fieldwork at Pitzotlán in the Sierra de Huautla region from September 2018 to March 2019 included Banded Quail among animals used for food and companionship. Conservation needs to consider local livelihoods and examine the effects of capture. Accurate distribution information and maintaining seasonal dry forest and weedy habitats are also relevant.