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Males and females raise their young together, the female tending the eggs and chicks while the male stands guard for protection. Females will lay up to twenty eggs at a time that are tan with darker brown spot- again a sign of their ground based lives. If flushed, frightened Quail will usually run for the nearest brush for cover, but they are also capable of quick sprints in the air and will seek safety in trees.ĭuring mating season Quail nests are also located on the ground and consist of a shallow depressions scratched out of the dirt and lined with grass. Quail will leave tell-tale circular patterns in the dirt which is the result of their morning “dust baths”. Quails can be seen in groups called coveys, which can be as large as 200 birds, scratching about on the ground looking for berries, acorns and leaves to eat. Mornings and early evening is when these birds are most active. Both sexes are mottled earth tones to blend in with the ground scenery which is where they spend most of there time. This plumage is longer on males who also have a black throat ringed in white and a scale pattern that the females do not. Their most distinguishing feature is a dark top knot of six feathers that dangles over the forehead in the shape of a comma. They are a short and plump little bird, smaller than a pigeon and popular as a game bird. I am always surprised at beautiful the markings are on this bird.Īll these photos were taken in the in the laid-back community of Alpine.Quails can be seen in groups called coveys, which can be as large as 200 birds I disagree I think the patterns and markings are very striking. I believe it is assumed that the Quail is a drab and colorless looking bird. The Quails head plume or topknot, looks like a single feather, but it is actually a cluster of six overlapping feathers. Quail are not the best airborne flyers but can run and flee on foot very efficiently. They are very adapted to drought conditions and can get by with little or sometimes no water, getting their moisture from insects and succulent vegetation. Chicks acquire the protozoans by pecking at the feces of adults. Quail digests vegetation with the help of protozoans in their intestine. Their diets consist mainly of seeds and leaves, but also eat some berries and insects. They forage on the ground, often scratching at the soil. They can be seen year round in the East County at the edges of urban areas and are very plentiful in the fields, foothills and lakes around our east county. The California Quail became our state bird in 1931. We feed the cats indoors now! Therefore, the Quail have a safe corner of the yard under a large Laurel Sumac in which they live and seem to be a happy lot. Actually, I have had coyotes come to my front door and eat out of the cat dishes. Coyotes cannot get in the yard, although I have seen them many times come right up to the fence. I think they feel safe in my yard because I have a chain link fence around the perimeter of the yard. Although this year they are a bit more used to seeing me and are not as urgent to make a break for it.

I can never get very close to them because they flee as soon as they know I am around. They are social in their own group but very skittish when they see anything that might be perceived as a danger. The quail is a very social bird that travels in groups call coveys. The chicks are now as big as the adults are, however, you can still tell the juveniles from the adults by the size of the plumes on the top of their heads as well as the markings and feathers that are not as deep and striking as the adults’ markings.

I remember seeing the new little chicks around the end of April. My last count, as of yesterday, is nine quail living in my back yard. Over the past two seasons, I have had the pleasure of having a covey of California Quail living in my back yard! Septem(Alpine)-The California State Bird is the California Valley Quail. Facebook Journalism Project covid-19 reporting.