California Quail
California Quail
Female or immature
- Short dark "topknot"
- Pale gray face and breast
- Pale belly with brown scaling
- Short tail
- © Chuq Von Rospach, CA, Los Osos, August 2008
California Quail
Adult male
- Long dark "topknot"
- Scaled belly with yellow and chestnut wash
- Black and white face mask
- © Chuq Von Rospach, CA, Los Osos, August 2008
California Quail
Adult male
- Pale belly with brown scaling
- Brown flanks with white streaks
- © neike, British Columbia, Canada, June 2008
California Quail
Adult male
- Bluish gray breast
- Scaled belly with yellow and chestnut wash
- Long dark "topknot"
- © quasimodo4502, CA, San Francisco, January 2009
California Quail
Female or immature
- Dull brownish gray overall
- White stripes on brown sides
- © quasimodo4502, CA, San Francisco, December 2008
California Quail
Adult males and females
- Often seen in small flocks or coveys
- © L.W. Neish, British Columbia, Canada, February 2007
California Quail
Adult male
- Scaled belly with yellow and chestnut wash
- Long dark "topknot"
- Black and white face mask
- © Sharon Hadley, February 2007
Similar Species
Adult
- Similar to all plumages of California Quail
- Dark brown and white face mask
- Chestnut, brown, and white patterning on body
- © Mike Powers , Ithaca, NY, July 2008
Adult female
- Similar to adult female California Quail
- Upper breast finely streaked with black
- Belly unscaled
- © cl_cochran , AZ, June 2008
Adult male
- Occurs in Desert Southwest; does not overlap with California Quail
- Cap more reddish than brown
- Unscaled yellow mid-belly; black belly patch
- © Joan Gellatly, Tucson, AZ, February 2009