California Quail
Callipepla californica · New World Quails
Banding codeCAQU
Keys to identifying it
1Size & shape
About 10 in long.
2Color pattern
- Plump with a forward-curling black topknot
- Male: black face outlined in white
- Scaly-patterned belly
3Habitat & season
Brushy yards, farms, riparian thickets
In northern Utah: year-round.
Seen most often in April, May, June and July.
Share of the region’s research-grade iNaturalist bird observations each month, scaled to this bird’s peak. Highlighted bars are its peak months.
4Voice
A loud three-note rallying call.
“chi-CA-go”
iNat 317165973 by Jacob Moyer · Okanogan, WA 98840, USA · CC0
Know it
- Its rallying call sounds like 'chi-CA-go.'
- Introduced to Salt Lake City in 1869; now common across northern Utah.
- A covey often posts a lookout on a high perch while the group feeds.
- State bird of California.
Often confused with
- Gambel's Quail
- Mountain Quail
From iNaturalist identification data for northern Utah.
From Wikipedia
The California quail, also known as the California valley quail or Valley quail, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family, inhabiting western North America. It is the state bird of California.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0