Mountain Quail Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A round-bodied game bird with a small head, short tail, rounded wings, and short, strong legs. Two distinctive plumes stick up off the head like the feather of a quill pen, longest in adult males.

  Relative Size

  Slightly larger than a California Quail, smaller than a Gray Partridge.

  between robin and crow

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 10.2-12.2 in (26-31 cm)
    • Weight: 7.4-9.2 oz (210-262 g)

  © Aaron Maizlish / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Adults are rich olive-brown above, with a blue-gray breast and chestnut flanks with black-and-white barring. The throat is chestnut with a white border. Juveniles have a scaly pattern and are less colorful.

• Behavior

  Males sing, or “crow,” in spring to advertise to females and warn other males of their presence. Pairs and family groups forage quietly together, walking through dense shrubby areas pecking at seeds, vegetation, and insects, sometimes coming to road edges to eat grit.
• Habitat

  Desert scrub with heavy ground cover, chaparral, and mixed or coniferous woodlands with aspen, manzanita, willow, or sagebrush. Occurs from about 2,000 feet to over 10,000 feet elevation.