The California Quail - Callipepla californica - is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World Quail Family. It is a highly sociable bird that often gathers coveys. They were originally found mainly in the southwestern United States. They have been introduced into British Columbia, Chile, New Zealand and Australia.

Description

They are plump, short-necked game birds with a small head and bill. They fly on short, very broad wings. The tail is fairly long and square. Both sexes have a comma-shaped topknot of feathers projecting forward from the forehead, longer in males than females. Adult males are rich gray and brown, with a black face outlined with bold white stripes. Females are a plainer brown and lack the facial markings. Both sexes have a pattern of white, creamy, and chestnut scales on the belly. Young birds look like females but have a shorter topknot. The curving crest or plume is made of six feathers, that droops forward. One of their daily communal activities is a dust bath. They are year-round residents.

Call

They have a variety of vocalizations including the social "chicago" call, contact "pips" and warning "pips." During the breeding season, males utter the agonistic "squill" and will often interrupt their social mate's "chicago" call with a "squill," a possible form of antiphonal calling. Its stiffly accented Chi-ca-go call is a common sound of the chaparral and other brushy areas of California and the Northwest.

Food

Their diet consists mainly of seeds and leaves, but they also eat some berries and insects. They forage on the ground, often scratching at the soil. They can sometimes be seen feeding at the sides of roads.

Breeding

Their breeding habitat is shrubby areas and open woodlands in western United States. The nest is a shallow scrape lined with vegetation located on the ground under a shrub or other cover. The female usually lays approximately twelve eggs. Once they are hatched, the young associate with both adults. Often, families group together, into multifamily "communal broods" which include at least two females, multiple males and many offspring. Males associated with families are not always the genetic fathers. In good years, females will lay more than one clutch, leaving the hatched young with the associated male and laying a new clutch, often with a different associated male.

Conservation Status – Least Concern

Birdwatching

You’ll find California Quail in chaparral, sagebrush, oak woodlands, and foothill forests of California and the Northwest. They’re quite tolerant of people and can be common in city parks, suburban gardens, and agricultural areas.