Skip to main content

California Quail

Image
By

The California quail is a small ground living bird in the New World quail family. It is also known by some other names such as the Valley quail, Colin de Californie (French), Codorniz Californiana (Spanish), California Partridge, Crested Quail, Topknot quail or California Valley quail. It is the state bird of California, and it was established as the state bird in the year of 1932.

The California quail's stiffly accented Chi-ca-go call is a common sound of the chaparral and other brushy areas of California and the Northwest.

These birds are often seen scratching at the ground in large groups or dashing forward on blurred legs. They are common but unobtrusive, they are flush to cover if scared (so approach them gently).

The California quails are pretty popular with the game hunters. And they have been introduced to many other parts and countries of the world, including Argentina, British Columbia, Brazil, Chile, Europe, Hawaii, South Africa, Uruguay and New Zealand. Read some more information about this quail breed below.

California Quail Characteristics

The California quail is a very beautiful and handsome bird. It is a round soccer ball of bird with a rich gray breast, intricately scaled underparts, and a curious, forward-drooping head plume.

The curving crest or plume of these birds is made of six feathers that droops forward (black in males and brown in females; the flanks are brown with white streaks).

The immature birds and females are mainly of grey-brown color with a light-colored belly. While the males have a dark brown cap and a black face with a brown back, a light brown belly and a grey-blue chest.

Closest relative of these species is Gambel's quail which has a more southerly distribution and a longer crest at 6.4 cm, a brighter head and a scalier appearance.

valley quail, colin de californie, codorniz californiana, california partridge, crested quail, topknot quail, california valley quail, california quail, california quails, about california quail, california quail appearance, california quail breed, california quail breed info, california quail breed facts, california quail behavior, california quail care, caring california quail, california quail color, california quail characteristics, california quail color varieties, california quail development, california quail eggs, california quail facts, california quail egg size, california quail for meat, california quail farms, california quail farming, california quail history, california quail info, california quail images, california quail meat, california quail origin, california quail photos, california quail pictures, california quail rarity, california quail rearing, raising california quail, california quail size, california quail temperament, california quail tame, california quail uses, california quail varieties, california quail weight, california quail call

The California quails are plump, short-necked game birds with a small head and bill. Their wings are short but very broad with a wingspan between 32 and 37 cm, and the tail is fairly long and square. Average live body weight of the California quail is between 140 and 230 grams. Photo and info from Wikipedia.

Uses

The California quail is raised mainly as pets or just as a hobby.

Special Notes

The California quail is a ground-dwelling bird. And they spend most of their time on the ground, walking and stretching in search of food. They generally forage beneath shrubs or on open ground in morning and evening. Dust bath is one of their daily communal activities. They are highly sociable birds, and they often gather in small flocks known as 'coveys'.

California quail generally forage on ground, often scratching at the soil. And sometimes they can be seen feeding at the road sides. Seeds and leaves are their main diet, but they also eat some insects and berries. Pairs of the California quail call antiphonally. That means that, the males and females have alternate calls.

Main breeding areas of the California quail is shrubby areas and open woodlands in western North America. The nest is a shallow scrape lined with vegetation on the ground beneath a shrub or other cover. The female California quail lay approximately 12 eggs (sometimes as many as 28 eggs). The young associate with both males and females, once hatched. However, review full breed profile of this quail breed in the chart below.

Breed NameCalifornia
Other NamesValley quail, Colin de Californie (French), Codorniz Californiana (Spanish), California Partridge, Crested Quail, Topknot quail or California Valley quail
Breed PurposePets, hobby
Special NotesVery strong and hardy birds, strong, generally a ground-living bird, they spend most of their time on the ground, generally forage beneath shrubs or on open ground in morning and evening, dust bath is one of their daily communal activities, highly sociable birds, often gather in small flocks known as ‘coveys’
SpeciesNew World Quail
WeightBetween 140 and 230 grams
Climate ToleranceAlmost all climates
Egg ColorWhite to creamy with variable brown markings
Egg Size/Weight8 to 13 grams
Egg Productivity12-16 eggs clutch size (sometimes as many as 28 eggs)
Body ColorRich gray with markings
RarityCommon
Country/Place of OriginUnited States
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Murray Grey Cattle

By
The Murray Grey cattle are a breed of beef cattle from Australia. It was developed in the upper Murray River valley on the New South Wales. The breed was developed in 1905 from an initial chance mating of a black Aberdeen Angus bull and a roan Shorthorn cow during the Federation drought. From these matings the resulting thirteen dun-grey calves were kept as curiosities. And then Peter and Ena Sutherland bred them on the Thologolong property along the Murray River in New South Wales. Murray Grey cattle grew faster and were good converters of feed and produced quality carcases. These are the reasons this animals become very popular after their development. And local farmers became interested soon in these animals and began breeding them. The first large scale commercial farms were established in the 1940s. Today the breed is available in many countries. Both live Murray Grey cattle and embryos have been exported to many countries such as Canada, South America, New Ze...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sorting Cattle

By
Sorting cattle is important if you have a large number of animals. For better management you will need to separate the animals into different groups depending on their age, size, gender or condition score. If some cattle of your herd need to be examined by a veterinarian or confined due to injury or illness, then separation may also need to be done. Sorting is also needed for separating the calves that need to be weaned from their mothers. And separating the bulls is also necessary after they have done their duty with breeding cows. Sorting Cattle Sorting cattle is not actually a difficult task. It can be done easily if you understand stockmanship principles that take advantage of bovine psychology and behavior. However, here we are describing more about the ways of sorting cattle. Sorting From a Squeeze Chute In this system you can move your cattle through a working corral into a chute system into the squeeze. In this system you can check and process animals f...
Post a Comment
Read more

Andalusian Black Cattle Farming

By
Andalusian Black cattle farming is not too popular, even in it's native area. It is a relatively rare breed which is valued for meat production. But today, the breed is listed as 'endangered', and total number of the breed is very less. The Andalusian Black cattle is a taurine cattle breed, and it was originated in west Andalusia, Spain. It is also known by some other names such as Negra de las Campiñas, Negra Campiñesa and Spanish: Negra Andaluza. The Andalusian Black cattle is actually a beef cattle breed which is raised primarily for meat production purpose. The breed is found in two main areas of west Andalusia (from Cordova to the foothills of the Sierra Morena), and in the provinces of Seville, Cádiz and Huelva. Today, total population of the Andalusian Black cattle breed is very less. And there were about 800 purebred cattle in the year of 2007. Total number of this breed decreased mainly for crossbreeding with other local cattle breeds. Other reason...
Post a Comment
Read more

Belted Galloway Cattle Farming

By
Belted Galloway cattle farming is popular, especially in it's native area. It is a beef cattle breed and raised mainly for meat production purpose. The breed is also known by some other names such as Beltie, Oreo Cow and Panda Cow. The Belted Galloway cattle breed was originated from Galloway in the west side of Southern Scotland. It is a heritage breed, and is well adapted to living on the poor upland pastures and wildswept moorlands of the region. Exact origins of the breed are unclear. But it is often surmised that the white belt of the breed may be a result of cross breeding with the Dutch Lakenvelder belted cattle. And the breed is named so mainly because of the belt. An association for the breed named the Belted Galloway Association was formed in 1921 in Scotland. And the name of the association was changed to Belted Galloway Society in the year of 1951. The association keeps and records pedigrees for Belted Galloways and oversees the registration of White and Re...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cleaning A Cow

By
Cleaning a cow in the proper way can keep the animal look and feel fresh. Cleaning also help to prevent external parasites. You may also need to clean your cow to show it off at your local county fair or other occasions. And you need to clean your cows more often especially if you have dairy cows. You can integrate a spraying system for cleaning a cow once a day or so. Along with cleaning the body, you should also provide a footbath for better health of the cow's hooves. However, here we are describing more about the process of cleaning a cow. Sprinkler System Add Sprinkler in a Pre-milking Wash Pen You can construct a pre-milking wash pen with sprinklers for cleaning multiple cows. In this system, install sprinklers all along the pen you hold the cows in before milking. Using concrete for the floor will be good. It will help to keep the floor dry quickly and you will not have a constantly muddy area. You should spray sprinklers both up and down to wash the cows th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Agerolese Cattle Farming

By
Agerolese cattle farming is not common, even in it's native area. It is a dairy cattle breed which is raised mainly for milk production purpose in it's native area. It is a pretty rare breed and not available outside it's native area. The Agerolese cattle is actually from the area of Agerola, in Campania in southern Italy. It was developed from cross-breeding of indigenous Podolica cattle with Bruna Italiana, Italian Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cattle. The breed is particularly associated with the Sorrento Peninsula and Monti Lattari. The Agerolese cattle is one of the 16 minor Italian cattle breeds of limited diffusion recognized and protected by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture. There were a total of 200 animals available according to a census completed on 1 January 2002. And the conservation status of the Agerolese cattle breed was reported by the FAO as 'endangered-maintained' in 200...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ankole-Watusi Cattle Farming

By
Ankole-Watusi cattle farming is pretty popular, especially in it's native area. It is a multi-purpose breed of domestic cattle which is raised and valued for show, draught, meat and milk production purpose. The Ankole-Watusi cattle is a landrace breed, a type of Sanga cattle and originally native to East Africa. It is also known as Ankole Longhorn, and also sometimes known simply as Ankole or Watusi. Ankole-Watusi cattle is actually an ancient breed, and ancient rock paintings and depictions of these animals have been observed in the Sahara region and in the Egyptian arts and pyramid walls. The Sanga breed has spread to the Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and some other parts of Eastern Africa, becoming the base stock of the indigenous African cattle populations. It has most of the usual Zebu characteristics such as the pendulous dewlap and sheath, hump of variable size and the upturned horns. The Ankole-Watusi cattle have played a very important role in the lives of various ...
Post a Comment
Read more