The back and rump are olive brown with black vermiculation and the breast and belly are chestnut speckled with white.

Juveniles are similar to the female but the white of the chin is smaller and the black of the throat broader.

[7] A juvenile Tacarcuna wood quail was collected in early June but no other information about the species' breeding phenology has been published.

[7] The IUCN originally assessed the Tacarcuna wood quail as Near Threatened but has rated it Vulnerable since 2000.

"The very small range of this species renders it susceptible to stochastic events and human activities".