The California Quail is a handsome, round soccer ball of a game bird with a small head and bill and a distinctive, curled black head plume in both sexes. Its wings are short and very broad and tail is fairly long and square. Adult males are rich gray and brown, with a black face outlined with bold white stripes. Females are a plainer brown and lack the facial markings. Both sexes have a pattern of white, creamy, and chestnut scales on the belly. Young birds look like females but have a shorter topknot. Legs and feet are gray in both. Though the topknot looks like a single feather, it is actually a cluster of six overlapping plumes.
California Quail lay 12 to 16 eggs in a shallow ground depression lined with grass. (Some nests can contain as many as 28 eggs which may be the result of females laying eggs in nests other than their own, a behavior known as "egg-dumping.")
Many quail chicks are precocial which means relatively mature and mobile from the moment of hatching, so they can leave the nest with their parents. (If you pay close attention, you might spot a parade of what appear to be little, yellow "cotton balls" being led by one parent and followed by the other. Multiple California Quail broods may mix after hatching and are attended by all the parents of those broods. It is interesting to note that adults that engage in communal brooding live longer than adults that do not.
California Quail are plentiful in the Truckee Meadows where they inhabit dry, patchy, low vegetation. Listen for their distinctive, loud "Chi-ca-go" sound, which is interesting since they've never been to Chicago and are found only on the west coast. They're quite tolerant of people and can be common in city parks, suburban gardens, and agricultural areas.
California Quail are ground dwelling birds which live in coveys and enjoy community dust baths. They can fly well but prefer walking. If startled they explode into short fast flight, though they typically run from threats. They spend most of their time on the ground, walking and scratching in search of food. In morning and evening they forage beneath shrubs or on open ground near cover for seeds, fruits, berries and insects and will readily eat cracked corn, berries and millet from ground trays.They are particularly fond of newly planted seeds and tender plants. It's amazing how quickly they discover these tasty treats and then consume them! As an adaptation to living in arid environments, California Quails can often get by without water, acquiring their moisture from insects and succulent vegetation. During periods of sustained heat they must find drinking water to survive.
Backyard Tips
You can attract California Quail to your yard by sprinkling grain or birdseed on the ground and providing dense shrubbery nearby for cover. Quail Blocks are also a great way to attract these birds. Use quail blocks as a protein and mineral supplement to wild quail in native environments. Place blocks in, or near, a low bush in the general area where quail coveys are normally seen. One block will feed an average covey for two to three months.
To hear the call of the California Quail visit http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/California_Quail/sounds
Check with the bird feeding specialists at Moana Nursery for more information on these and other backyard birds.
Carmel Ruiz-Hilton is the manager of Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shops at Moana Nursery. Contact the nursery at 775-825-0602.
FAQs
For mountain quail, this would include shrubs like manzanita and buckbrush, and native oak trees. California quail also gravitate toward brittlebush, deerweed, redberry and Pacific blackberry. Gambel's quail have evolved with the dry dusty desert areas. They like acacia, brittlebush, mesquite, cacti and yucca.
How to attract California quail? ›
You can attract California Quail to your yard by sprinkling grain or birdseed on the ground and providing dense shrubbery nearby for cover. Find out more about what this bird likes to eat and what feeder is best by using the Project FeederWatch Common Feeder Birds bird list.
What bird seed attracts quail? ›
In morning and evening they forage beneath shrubs or on open ground near cover for seeds, fruits, berries and insects and will readily eat cracked corn, berries and millet from ground trays. They are particularly fond of newly planted seeds and tender plants.
How do you feed quail without attracting pigeons? ›
Feed Seeds Without Shells.
Offering seeds without shells means that the birds you want around will eat much more of the food and less of it will end up on the ground, this will keep doves and pigeons from hanging around.
What plants to put in a quail pen? ›
Additional plants to consider include:
- Loblolly pine.
- Black locust.
- Greenbrier.
- Rose.
- Sumac.
- Mesquite.
- Ash.
- Spurge.
They eat a variety of food but the bulk of their diet is made up of seeds. They will also eat plant material like leaves, flowers and catkins. They can also eat small invertebrates like caterpillars and snails. California Quail typically nest on the ground and can have clutches that range from 12 to 16 eggs.
What time of day are California quail most active? ›
Quail tend to feed most actively in the morning and late afternoon, so those are the best times to pursue them in and around grain fields and places where weed and grass seeds are readily available.
How do you get a quail to come to you? ›
Offer the quail treats from your open hand.
Repeat the normal hand-in-enclosure process, but place some quail feed or a treat they enjoy—mealworms, for instance—in your open palm. If they don't come to feed from your hand within 10 minutes, try again the next day.
Where do California quail roost at night? ›
Quail roost in dense trees or shrubs at night, which I discovered during my night hikes as they are easily scared off their roost at dusk. Quail mainly nest on the ground in grass or shrubs or next to logs or large rocks, but sometimes they nest ten inches above the ground in a shrub or tree.
What is the best thing to plant for quail? ›
Corn and grain sorghum are among the most reliable food sources. Planted separately or in combinations, they retain grain on stalks, stand well in winter weather and provide very high-energy food. Large blocks of corn, and combinations of forage sorghum and grain sorghum can also provide excellent cover.
If a feeder is only filled with seed, it should be placed near brushy areas. That's where seed-eating birds feel safest. If the feeder also offers a suet cake, however, placing it closer to large trees where woodpeckers will feed can make birds more comfortable.
What is the best birdseed to attract birds? ›
sunflower -- will attract the greatest variety of birds. Sunflower seeds are the seeds favored by most seed-eating birds, some 40 species including cardinals, tufted titmice, Carolina chickadees, house and purple finches, American goldfinches, brown-headed nuthatches, and red-bellied woodpeckers, to name a few.
What do quail like to eat the most? ›
For example, quail will eat lots of insects and seeds in the spring and early summer since they are very plentiful, but they will switch and eat more green vegetation in the late summer, fall and winter as seeds and insects become more scarce.
How do you befriend a quail? ›
If you're going to be taming your quails, it takes time and patience. You should visit them at least once a day but three times a day is ideal. Try to spend at least 30 minutes with your quail on each visit. Find yourself a seat or pillow to sit on and spend some time getting them used to your presence.
Do quails like coffee grounds? ›
You can also add coffee grounds, which quail love! I don't know why they love it, but they do. I think it's best to use spent grounds that have dried out some from your morning brew.
Where do California quail nest? ›
Nest site is usually on ground, under a shrub or brushpile, or next to a log or other cover. Sometimes nests above ground, on broken-off branch or in old nest of another bird. Typical nest on ground (probably built by female) is a shallow depression, lined with grass and leaves.
How do you catch a quail in California? ›
Quail traps are available online and at some hunting or farm supply stores. For an easy net trap, try tying bird netting or fish netting to a bendable steel wire or strong posts. Plant the trap in the ground so the quail walk through the net and get tangled in it. Another simple trap you can try is a PVC pipe trap.
