Common Names
Crested Quail, Valley Quail
Characteristics
Average wt. 6 1/4 oz (177 g); Average length (bill to tail) 9 1/2"-11" (24-28 cm); Wing span 12" (30.5 cm). The jaunty California Quail has a round body and a plume on its head. The black plume has a forward arch that bobs up and down when it walks. The female plume is much shorter. The male has a black throat outlined with a white line to the back of the eye. Its forehead is buff and the top of the head is black with a white outline from the plume to the back of the head. The chest is gray and the area from the back of the head to the top of the back is scaled with white or gray feathers edged in black. Its back and wings are grayish-brown. The belly is heavily scaled with black-edged white or tan feathers. The bill is black, the eyes brown and legs and feet brownish-black. The female is less colorful with brownish head, neck and belly scaled similarly to the male. Its chest and back are gray-brown with a gray tail. The California Quail is gregarious and in winter is found in coveys of 20 to 200 birds. At night it roosts in trees or dense brush. When flushed, the California Quail can fly over 25 mph (40 kph). It prefers to run rather than fly and can run up to 12 mph (19 kph). Its call is variously described as "chi-ca-go", "ku-kwak" or "ka-ka-kow." It also makes a "pit-pit-pit" noise and a dry, clicking sound. When alarmed it makes a loud whistle. The California Quail is monogamous and normally nests on the ground beneath a clump of grass or by a log. The nest is roofed with vegetation. It also will use abandoned nests in trees. It is the state bird of California.
Habitat
Grasslands that are near mixed woodlands. It needs water nearby. It primarily eats leaves, seeds, weeds, crops, brush, flowers, acorns, berries and grapes. It also eats some insects and snails.
Distribution
Originally on the Pacific Coast of North America from northern Baja California, to Mexico north through California, southern Oregon and western Nevada. It has been introduced on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, southwestern Idaho, central Utah, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia and Chile.
Material from GreatLodge.com.
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