Nests are a flattened grassy area well concealed among dense vegetation. Courtship displays include head dips, puffing up of contour feathers, and spreading of the tail feathers. ![]() Males are aggressive when courting, and often fight each other. It is now unusual to see more than 20 quail in a single covey.Ĭalifornia quail are not considered to have any conservation or economic impacts, but are hunted on a limited scale. ![]() 1920s Canterbury, when coveys in excess of 100 birds were frequently recorded. Examples of good quail habitat include bracken, tussock grass, matagouri, gorse, blackberry, tutu and lupinĬalifornia quail are abundant throughout their range, though they have apparently declined compared to e.g. They frequent the rough scrubby edges of rivers, inlets, forests, roads and rural gardens. The preferred habitat for California quail is uncultivated open shrubland. They are uncommon or absent in Southland, the Southern Alps, the West Coast and the Chatham Islands. They spread rapidly, and are now most numerous from Northland to the Waikato, inland Bay of Plenty, coastal Wairarapa, Nelson/Marlborough, North Canterbury and Banks Peninsula. The first release in New Zealand was at Papakura in 1862 with later releases in Nelson, Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago. They have been introduced to most continents as game birds. Similar species: the brown quail is smaller and browner, with intricate patterning on the back, and lacks a head plume.Ĭalifornia quail are native to western USA from Oregon to the Baja Peninsula. Chicks make a high whistle, alerting parents to their location Other calls include foraging grunts, sharp urgent tut-tut warnings and soft tup-tup sounds, possibly location guides. The calling bird is usually perched slightly above the surrounding area, e.g on a log or post. It is more accurately rendered as ‘qua-quergo’. Voice: the distinctive 3-note male crow is described in a variety of entertaining ways (‘Tobacco’, ‘McPherson’, ‘Chi- ca-go’ etc.). Their legs and bill are black and sturdy, with the bill being slightly hooked.įoraging quail pace sedately, but when disturbed they run at speed, their feet a blur of movement, or burst into flight with noisy, rapid wingbeats. California quail have short, rounded wings and a relatively long tail. Both sexes have fine speckling on the nape, which is bolder in the male. The female’s crest plume is much smaller than the male’s. Immature birds are similar to the female but a lighter brown. The female is slightly smaller, duller and browner, with some streaking on the neck and a more subdued scalloping on the belly, but with equally bold streaking on the flanks. The breast is blue-grey and the lower belly cream to rust brown with distinctive black scalloping, which merges into strong, pale streaks on the dark brown flanks. Males have a black chin and cheeks edged with white, and separate white ‘eyebrows’ join on the forehead. The male call, often represented as ‘ Chi-ca-go’, is distinctive and diagnostic.Ĭalifornia quail are stocky, predominantly grey and brown, with a diagnostic forward-curling black plume rising erect from the top of their heads. In autumn, quail gather in large coveys to feed and roost together. The young are numerous and able to fly at a young age, but have a low survival rate. The female is duller in colour with a less obvious plume. ![]() The male has a striking black face bordered with white, and a conspicuous top-knot or plume. They are common in open shrublands throughout most of the country. California quail are small, plump introduced game birds.
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