Bird of the Month: California Quail
Written by Andy McCormick
Andy McCormick, Volunteer and Former Board President of Eastside Audubon
The California Quail’s distinctive call makes it a beloved bird in the west.
The California Quail has as many as 13 different calls, but it does not have a song. Nevertheless, the bird’s Assembly Call is as familiar as a song. The call is a rhythmic, three-note phrase often interpreted by many observers as if the bird were calling out the name of the city of Chi-ca’-go. To imitate the sound of the call more closely, it can also be written as cu-CA-cow. The Assembly Call can be heard at anytime of the year as it is usually given when one bird is separated from the group (Calkins et al).
Other calls include the Advertisement Call given in the breeding season as a single note cow. It is similar to the final note of the Assembly Call but held for a longer duration. This call is usually given from a high perch as the male throws its head back. When disturbed, the quail’s Alarm Call produces a rapid series of double pit-pit, pit-pit notes given when a predator is sighted (Calkins et al).
Another observer describes a double-note contact call “wr’t-wr’t, wr’t-wr’t,” the sound of which can carry a long distance (Dunne). Photos, videos, and calls of the California Quail can be viewed at the Macaulay Library
California Quail
Scientific Name: Callipepla californica
Length: 10”
Wingspan: 14”
Weight: 6 oz (180 g)
AOU Alpha Code: CAQU
A THREESOME OF QUAIL
The California Quail is a plump bird with gray and brown cryptic plumage which helps it blend into its surroundings. However, both male and female have some distinguishing features including a forward-facing teardrop-shaped plume on their heads. The male has a black throat outlined in white and a brown crown. Its chest is gray, and its sides are brown. It has a scaled belly with a chestnut-colored patch. The female is brown overall with white markings and scaling on the belly.
The California Quail is similar to Gambel’s Quail (C. gambeli), but the male Gambel’s has a chestnut-colored crown and a white belly with a black patch. The female Gambel’s has a light gray chest and white belly. Hybrids of these two species do occur, but for the most part, their ranges do not overlap.
Both of these species and the closely-related Scaled Quail (C. squamata) share the genus Callipepla, meaning beautifully robed, referencing the male’s plumage. The term is from the Greek kalos, beautiful, and peplos, any woven cloth covering including a robe. The initial specimen was named after being collected in California which at the time was part of Mexico. Quail is from the old French quaille which is imitative of the call of the European species (Holloway).
NESTING AND BROODING
To build a nest, the female California Quail lines a depression in the ground with grass and weeds. Three eggs are deposited every four days until the clutch is complete. The clutch size can range from one to 26 eggs, but it usually includes 13-14 eggs. The larger clutch sizes may result when some females contribute eggs into other quails’ nests. Incubation begins after the entire clutch is laid. After about three weeks, the eggs hatch synchronously. Development is thought to be synchronized with in-egg vocalizations and clicking sounds. The hatchlings are precocial and immediately leave the nest and begin pecking at the ground (Calkins et al).
Despite this level of independence, quail young cannot regulate their body temperature for the first few weeks and the adults brood them by covering them with their feathers at night in cold weather and during the heat of the day. This process seems to encourage communal brooding and the formation of larger coveys (Calkins et al).
CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT
Population estimates are not available for California Quail. Attempts to estimate population are made by measuring the density of quail in a particular location. Data from the Christmas Bird Count and the Breeding Bird Survey showed a marked decline in population in the 1960s to 1970s and a slightly reduced rate of decline after that period. Habitat loss appears to be the primary cause of declines. The expansion of large-scale agriculture and massive corporate farms destroy vegetation needed by quail. The extensive use of herbicides, pesticides, and rodenticides is also detrimental for California Quail.
Photo credit Mick Thompson.
References available upon request from amccormick@eastsideaudubon.org.