The quail with a topknot
—Photo by DON BARTLING A trio of California quail, made up of one male and two females, wander across a wide-open snowfield in winter.
Recently I was traveling north on the “farm to market” road on my way to Porthill, when I was surprised to see a covey of quail with a topknot beside the road in a circular group in the snow. As I stopped to take a picture of them, they quickly disbanded and briskly walked to the brush on the east side of the road and into the forest.
The quail I saw with a feather plume is called the California quail and is a ground-dwelling bird, more slender than most other quail. He is a handsome, round soccer ball of a bird with a rich gray breast, intricately scaled underparts, and a curious forward-drooping head plume.
The male is a plump gray bird with a black face and chin. He has a prominent teardrop-shaped plume on the forehead. The head plume, or topknot, looks like a single feather, but it is actually a cluster of six overlapping feathers. He has a “scaled” appearance on the belly, light brown to a gradual white, with a pale brown forehead.
The female is similar to the male but lacks a black face and chin. The juveniles are similar in appearance to the female.
California quail prefer open fields, agricultural areas and sagebrush. They are not found in dense forest or high elevations. The California quail rarely flies but prefers to run away. They are usually seen in groups (coveys) of up to 100 individuals. Young birds stay with the family group until autumn. The California quail has expanded its range in Idaho over the past 50 years.
The California quail are characteristic birds of foothills, high deserts and the northwestern United States. They are also frequent visitors to backyards, especially if there is birdseed available at ground level.
They are mainly a seedeater, but also eat leaves, flowers, grain and invertebrates such as caterpillars, beetles, mites, millipedes, and snails. Their diet is typically about 70 percent vegetation.
Their nest is usually a shallow depression lined with stems and grasses, and is often placed near vegetation or rocks for protection. Nests range from five to seven inches across and one to two inches deep. The female California quail typically hides her nests on the ground amid grasses or at the basis of shrubs or trees. Occasionally the California quail will place their nests up to 10 feet off the ground.
California quail are normally seen walking, running or scratching at the ground and leaf litter for seeds and other food.
They occasionally forage in trees and in open areas, but stay close to cover. When running, they can move amazingly quick despite their short legs. If pressed by a predator or a hunter they will burst into flight with rapid, whirring wingbeats.
They roost in trees and feed mainly in the morning and evening, spending most of the day in shrubs that shade them from the sun and protect them from predators.
Enjoy Boundary County’s outdoors.
For more outdoor articles visit: www.naturallynorthidaho.com.