The California Quail is a handsome, chicken-shaped bird with a gray breast and intricate black and white markings on the neck and belly. Most stunning is the forward-leaning topknot, shaped like a comma giving it a royal look.
You cans see this California state bird running to cover when startled. Several broods may mix after hatching, and remarkably, all the parents care for the young, pre-school style! Each nest may have as many as 28 eggs, but this may be a result of "egg dumping" by quail mothers laying eggs in nests other than their own.
The distinctive plume at the top of the California Quail's head is made of six feathers that droop forward. Males have black plumes; females have brown. Adapted to living in arid environments, California Quails can survive without drinking water, obtaining their necessary moisture from insects and succulent vegetation.
Photo by Carol Greenstret
Photo by Tom Clifton
California Quail relies on
Sun
Water
Nutrients