Scaled Quail
Callipepla squamata
Commonly nicknamed 'Cottontop' because of the tuft of white feathers atop its head that resembles a cotton boll.
- Scientific name
- Callipepla squamata
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Galliformes › Odontophoridae › Callipepla
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- desert
- Habitat
- Arid grasslands, desert scrublands, and brushy pastures with scattered shrubs for cover.
- Diet
- Omnivorous; primarily seeds from desert shrubs and grasses, supplemented by green herbage and insects like grasshoppers.
- Range
- Southwestern United States, Northern Mexico, Chihuahuan Desert
- Size
- 10-12 inches long, 150-200 grams
- Lifespan
- 1-3 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat degradation due to overgrazing, prolonged drought, and the encroachment of invasive woody plants.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. Maintain a distance of at least 15 feet to observe natural foraging behavior. If the bird flushes, do not pursue. They pose no threat to humans and prefer to outrun observers rather than fly.
The scaled quail ( Callipepla squamata ), also commonly called blue quail or cottontop , is a species of the New World quail family. It is a bluish gray bird found in the arid regions of the Southwestern United States to Central Mexico. This species is an early offshoot of the genus Callipepla , diverging in the Pliocene.
Photo: John Rosford, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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