# California Quail

*Callipepla californica*

The California Quail's iconic topknot plume is actually composed of six overlapping feathers that curve forward.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Galliformes › Odontophoridae › Callipepla
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Chaparral, sagebrush, oak woodlands, and suburban gardens with dense brushy cover.
- **Diet:** Primarily seeds and leaves, but also berries and small invertebrates like caterpillars and beetles.
- **Range:** California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Baja California, British Columbia
- **Size:** 9 to 11 inches in length
- **Lifespan:** 1 to 6 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss due to urbanization, predation by feral cats, and prolonged drought affecting chick survival.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. If you encounter a covey, remain still to observe their social interactions. If they flush, they will fly in a sudden burst; do not chase. Keep domestic cats indoors to protect them.

## About

The California quail ( Callipepla californica ), also known as the California valley quail or valley quail , is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. These birds have a curving crest or plume , made of six feathers, that droops forward: black in males and brown in females; the flanks are brown with white streaks. Males have a dark brown cap and a black face with a brown back, a grey-blue chest and a light brown...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/3990e199-3bdf-46fa-98b1-80057c3ca524
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1409
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callipepla californica
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/148825462/medium.jpg (Barry Langdon-Lassagne, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.