California Quail (Callipepla californica)

California Quail (Callipepla californica (Shaw, 1798))

Scientific name: Callipepla californica (Shaw, 1798)
Common name: California Quail
Other names: California Valley Quail, Valley Quail. Other scientific name: Lophortyx californica.
French name: Colin de Californie, Caille de Californie.
Order: Galliformes
Family: Odontophoridae
Size: Body size: 24 to 27 cm; Weight: 150 to 190 g; Wingspan: 32 to 37 cm.
Habitat: Bushes, hedges, forest edges, tall grass areas, parks and gardens.
Food: The California Quail feeds on the ground on seeds, leaves, fruits and berries. It also consumes insects during the breeding season.
Nesting: The nest is located on the ground. It is a small depression lined with grasses. The clutch usually consists of 12 to 14 eggs.
Migration: Sedentary.
Geographic area: Native to the southwest of the United States (it is the symbol bird of California), the California Quail has also been introduced to British Columbia, Chile and Argentina, Hawaii, Corsica, New Zealand and King Island in Australia.

The California Quail bears a small plume of 6 feathers on the front of the head and hanging down forward. It is black on males and brown on females.
Males have brown flanks with white streaks. The back is brown and the belly is lighter brown. The chest is blue-grey.
The crown is dark brown and outlined with a white line. The face and throat are black and bordered with white.
Females are more grey-brown in colour and do not have the contrasting markings of males on the head and throat.