CALIFORNIA QUAIL

PHOTOS

The California Quail is a highly sociable bird that often gathers in small flocks known as "coveys", and one of the daily communal activities is the taking of dust baths. A group of quail will choose an area where the ground is soft, and using their underbellies, will burrow downward into the soil some 1-3 inches. They move about in the indentations they have created, flapping their wings and ruffling their feathers, causing dust to rise in the air.

California Quail prefer sunny places to create their dust baths, and you can detect the presence of quail in an area by spotting the circular indentations left behind in the soft dirt about 3-7 inches in diameter.

The California Quail in the local area are year-round residents. Although the quail survives well at the edges of urban areas, it is declining in some areas as human populations increase. California Quail were originally found mainly in the southwestern United States but they have been introduced into other areas including Canada, parts of South America, Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand.

California Quail forage on the ground and often scratch at the soil. They can sometimes be seen feeding at the sides of roads. They eat mainly seeds and leaves, but they also eat some berries and insects. They will also forage on Toyon berries. If the birds are startled, they tend to explode into short rapid flight, called "flushing". Given a choice, they will normally run.

Their breeding habitat is shrubby areas and open woodlands. Their nest is a shallow scrape lined with vegetation located on the ground under a shrub or other cover. The female California Quail usually lays approximately twelve eggs. Once hatched, the young chicks associate with both male and female 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 very good years, females will lay more than one clutch, leaving the hatched young with the associated male and laying a new clutch in a nearby location, often with a different associated male.

For more information on California Quail, life history, and videos visit the following website.