Breeding Location:
Scrub vegetation areas, Grasslands, open, Thorny shrubs
Breeding Type:
Monogamous
Breeding Population:
Common but local
Egg Color:
White with light brown spots
Number of Eggs:
9 - 16
Incubation Days:
21 - 23
Egg Incubator:
Female
Nest Material:
Grass, leaves.
Migration:
Nonmigratory
|
BEYOND THE BACKYARD... |
|
800+ BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA |
|
FORUMS - ID HELP -
ARTICLES - FREE SOFTWARE - MUCH MORE |
If you
like the Project Wildbird ID Engine you may want to check out the
WhatBird North America database - the gold standard of bird identification
that Project Wildbird is based on.
Whatbird.com - a commercial web site -
offers the same search capability for every bird in North America,
including rare and vagrants, shorebirds, raptors, even extinct species.
You'll find the same outstanding illustrations, bird calls, plus these features:
Browse Birds -
view birds by location, shape, color, size, etc.
Bird Expert - guides you ID with simple questions
Forum -
Visit our Identification Forum and get personal answers from our
ornithologists David Lukas and Simone Whitecloud.
|
| FORUMS - ID HELP -
ARTICLES - FREE SOFTWARE - MUCH MORE |
Overview
Scaled Quail: Large quail AKA "cottontop," due to its white-tipped gray crest; nape, neck underparts have dark-edged gray and buff feathers creating a distinctly scaled look. Upperparts are plain gray with white stripe at base of wings; sides are gray with short white stripes. Pale brown legs, feet.
Range and Habitat
Scaled Quail: Found primarily in New Mexico, western Texas, and portions of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. Inhabits open landscapes, desert grassland, thorn-scrub and savanna. Populations have declined since the 1940's, perhaps due to habitat loss.
Breeding and Nesting
Scaled Quail: Monogamous. Nest is a depression lined with grass and leaves where female lays nine to sixteen white eggs with light brown spots. Female incubates for 21 to 23 days, male incubates rarely. Precocial young leave nest soon after hatching, stay with adults until the following spring. Often will not breed in dry years, or away from open water sources.
Foraging and Feeding
Scaled Quail: Consumes a variety of seeds. Takes more insects than other quail, usually on a seasonal basis. Readily takes food from backyard feeding stations where it prefers millet, cracked corn, and safflower.
Readily Eats
Cracked Corn, Safflower, Millet
Vocalization
Scaled Quail: Song a loud, high pitched "QWEUR" or "QUEESH" heard in the spring. Call is a softer clucking "chur-chur", or "chuch'er" heard year round.
Similar Species
.