Wild Things: Scaled quail (Callipepla squamata)

The Scaled quail is a plump grounddwelling bird of 10-12" length and a 15" wingspan.this quail is found throughout New Mexico and into western Texas, southeastern Arizona and Colorado, and into central Mexico, where it favors grasslands, rocky areas, arroyos or bare ground, but with some shrub cover. They are well concealed by their cryptic coloring and habit of foraging on the ground. Males will often sing their loud single note whistle and other chuckling calls from fence posts. They also tend to run when escaping predators rather than flying and congregate in coveys in the shelter of dense brush at night. The common name comes from the scaly appearance of the breast and neck feathers. Another name for this bird is “cottontop,” in reference to the white-tipped tuft of feathers on the head.

They lay 12 eggs (from 5-16) in a ground nest concealed under brush, cactus, or shrubs. The precocial young venture from the nest shortly after hatching, with both parents tending them. The young are able to feed themselves after leaving the nest, perhaps by mimicking parental foraging behavior. Two broods being reared in a single season is common. Their diet is rather broad and includes seeds of a variety of prairie weeds and woody plants, as well as insects, leaves, and berries.

Scaled quail move about seasonally but don't migrate long distances, with winter covey sizes averaging about 30 birds. They are often found less than a mile from water, though many observations have located Scaled quail at distances from water of up to 15 miles. They may derive some needed water from their varied diet. They roost in shrubs and cacti near the ground.

Scaled quail are preyed upon by a wide range of predators, including eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls, coyotes, snakes, foxes, and bobcats.

The Audubon Society predicts that the warming climate will result in a range shift northward into Colorado and western Kansas, with reductions on the western periphery and the southeastern ranges in Texas and Mexico. Some livestock grazing can improve forage for quail, but overgrazing diminishes available foods. The IUCN considers the Scaled quail population abundant and stable at this time.

Photos taken in Moriarty by James Taulman, with Nikon 900 camera.

James Taulman is a semi-retired research wildlife biologist who worked with the U.S.F.S. research branch and taught zoology, ecology, and more in several university positions. Search for him on Youtube to see wildlife videos.