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Australian Wildlife

  California Quail (Callipepla californica)





California Quail | Callipepla californica photo
California Quail (Callipepla californica)

Image by matt knoth - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)

California Quail | Callipepla californica photo
California Quails at the Zoo of Berlin

Image by Aconcagua - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)







CALIFORNIA QUAIL FACTS

Description
The California Quail is a small ground bird. They have a distinctive tear-drop shaped crest made of six feathers that is black in males and brown in females. The sides are brown with white streaks. Male birds have a black face, brown back, a greyish chest and pale brown belly. Females and young birds are mainly greyish brown with a paler underside.

Size
25cm

Habitat
open woodland, bushy grassland, roadsides, fringes of urban areas

Food
seeds, leaves, berries, insects

Breeding
The nest is a shallow scrape on the ground lined with plant material. The nest is usually located beneath a shrub or other cover. The eggs are pale brown with darker speckles.

Range
The California Quail is native to western America, but has been introduced to numerous other countries. In Australia it is found on King Island.

distribution map showing range of Callipepla californica in Australia

Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.



Classification
Class:Aves
Order:Galliformes
Family:Odontophoridae
Genus:Callipepla
Species:californica
Common Name:California Quail