California Quail
by Robert Bales
Title
California Quail
Artist
Robert Bales
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
A portrait of the California Quail.
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. It is the state bird of California.
These birds have a curving crest or plume, made of six feathers, that droops forward: black in males and brown for 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 belly. Females and immature birds are mainly grey-brown with a light-colored belly. Their closest relative is Gambel's Quail which has a more southerly distribution and, a longer crest (2.5 inches), a brighter head and a scalier appearance. The two species separated about 1�2 million years ago, during the Late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene.
The California Quail is a highly sociable bird that often gathers in small flocks known as "coveys". One of their daily communal activities is a dust bath. A group of quail will select an area where the ground has been newly turned or is soft, and using their underbellies, will burrow downward into the soil some one to two inches. They then wriggle about in the indentations they have created, flapping their wings and ruffling their feathers, causing dust to rise in the air. They seem to prefer sunny places in which to create these dust baths. An ornithologist is able to detect the presence of quail in an area by spotting the circular indentations left behind in the soft dirt, some 7�15 cm (3�6 inches) in diameter.
They are year-round residents. Although this bird coexists well at the edges of urban areas, it is declining in some areas as human populations increase. They were originally found mainly in the southwestern United States but they have been introduced into other areas including British Columbia, Hawaii, Chile, New Zealand, and to Norfolk Island and King Island in Australia. These birds forage on the ground, often scratching at the soil. They can sometimes be seen feeding at the sides of roads. Their diet consists mainly of seeds and leaves, but they also eat some berries and insects; for example, Toyon berries are a common food source. If startled, these birds explode into short rapid flight, called "flushing". Given a choice, they will normally escape on foot.
Uploaded
October 13th, 2012
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Comments (44)
Peggy Collins 28 Days Ago
A great capture, Robert...it must've been hard to capture this guy because they're rarely out in the open like this. Our quails are just starting to appear this spring.
Robert Bales replied:
It was!! Just happens to be the right place and time! Hope to see more when we return to Idaho in a few weeks!!
I'ina Van Lawick
Love it, Robert. These birds always make me smile with that cocky feather on their head. Lovely portrait. LF :)
Dennis Baswell
love white back round for an illustrative like quail image, beautiful details. Robert. l/f
Robyn King
Congratulations your amazing artwork is being featured in Over 5000 Views:-) Please take a moment to add your beautiful art to our archives in the message area and have a wonderful day!
Miroslava Jurcik
Congratulations , your beautiful work has been featured in Kingdom Animalia ! l/f/t
Christopher James
One of your peers nominated this image in the 1000 views Groups nominated images by your fellow artist in the Special Features #10 promotion discussion. Please visit and pass on the love to another artist.
Anita Faye
Robert, stunning California Quail portrait! Featured on Poetic Poultry Group! https://fineartamerica.com/groups/poetic-poultry-.html
Don Columbus
Congratulations Robert, your work is Featured in "A Birding Group - Wings"! I invite you to place it in the group's "2017 Featured Image Archive" Discussion!! L/Tweet
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks Don for the wonderful feature, comment, and the invite along with the LTw!!
Kay Brewer
Amazing capture, Robert! Congratulations on your lovely art reaching over 1000 views! l/f