California Quail
(Callipepla californica)

Cool Fact: The fossil record of California Quail is more comprehensive than for any other bird species of the western United States.

Common, conspicuous, and unmistakable within its range, the California Quail is a familiar sight amid the semiarid scrublands of the western United States. Its rounded shape, gregarious habits, and “topknot” feather bobbing on its crown make the bird appear quite endearing, sometimes almost comical, as it picks its way through the brush, issuing its distinctive contact call to others nearby.

California Quail are year-round residents of the Pacific coast, from Washington state to Baja California. Their range extends as far east as southeastern Idaho and pockets in northeast Utah. California Quail are closely related to Gambel’s Quail, which resides in arid areas of southern California, the southwestern United States, and northern Mexico. Hybrids of the two species occur in their narrow zone of overlap in southern California.

Adult California Quail eat various kinds of plant matter, including seeds, leaves, flowers, and berries, as well as insects. They feed predominantly on the ground, scratching and pecking. Nonbreeding birds have two bouts of foraging per day; during courtship, males eat much less, spending many hours of the day with empty stomachs. New hatchlings are fed mostly insects.

During the nonbreeding season, California Quail form flocks, or coveys, usually numbering several dozen. Within coveys, males have dominance hierarchies, established by bumps, displays, chases, and fights. Researchers believe that these hierarchies influence mate selection, social relations within broods, and movements of family groups.

Pairs generally form between members of the same covey, as early as February, depending on altitude and latitude. California Quail are generally monogamous, though in productive years, females may pair consecutively with different males. Nests are usually simple depressions on the ground, well concealed in rock or vegetation, and lined with grass.

Clutch sizes for California Quail vary very widely, from 1 to 28 eggs. Larger clutch sizes may result from “dumping” – that is, females’ laying eggs in nests that are not their own. No studies have explored the effect on clutch size of other factors, such as timing, location, or age of parents. Females generally do all the incubating; hatching is synchronized by vocalizations from the developing young while still in the egg.

Description: California Quail are medium-sized quail, measuring about 10.5 inches in length. Adult males are strikingly marked. They have brown crowns and black faces set off with white stripes, with one prominent black feather extending up and forward from the top of the crown. Nape shows a fine scaly pattern of black and white. Chest, wings, back, and tail are sleek and gray. Bellies are cream-colored with black scaly patterns and dark brown patches in the middle. Flanks are brown with white streaks. Females resemble males but have plain gray faces and crowns.

California Quail and Gambel’s Quail closely resemble each other, but the latter’s crown and flanks are brighter and more rufous than the former’s. Gambel’s Quail also lack the scaly pattern around the dark belly patch.

Voice: The most commonly-heard call of this species is a mellow clucking ka-KER-go, uttered to alert covey members of each other’s respective locations and movements. They also issue calls consisting of various repeated syllables.

Recording credit: The recording of the California Quail was made by David G. Allen, MLNS catalog # 2681. Recordings of the California Quail may be found on our Bird Songs of California and Western Bird Songs CDs and tapes available at our online Cornell Lab Birding Shop.

Reference: Calkins, J. D., J. C. Hagelin, and D. F. Lott. 1999. California Quail (Callipepla californica). In The Birds of North America, No. 473 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

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