Newsletter / Blog
2011-11-27 California State Bird - California Quail - Callipepla californica
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. |