Actually, top-knot birds. That's what that little plume on their head is called, but I often hear people mistakenly refer to it as a top-notch. But that's really not too far off the mark - California Quail are excellent little birds. Though they do stray a bit beyond the state's borders, they are widespread throughout the state. We were smart enough to name them for us before one of those other states could claim them, and made them our state bird to seal the deal.
Some birds, like Painted Buntings and Rainbow Lorikeets, look like someone got a new box of crayons and was determined to use as many colors as possible. Cal Quail have a more subtle palette, but it looks like someone just got hold of a book of design motifs and couldn't wait to try them out. Scallops - let's try that on the belly! And then we can do some little fish scales on the neck. Ooh, I know - horizontal strie in white on the sides, and streaks of brown at the back of the belly! And then, maybe some bold white borders between changes in background color? What colors, anyway? Brown is good, and then to keep it from getting too flashy, how about we stick with slate grey and soft gold for contrast. Is there someplace we could use this little rococo curlicue? Awesome!
Females are a little bit plainer, opting for a basic brown/warm grey palette, but keeping much of the patterning. They have a top-knot, too, but it's a more demure version.
As good Californians, they particularly like the rolling golden hills, and the scrub areas near the coast and elsewhere. Quail usually hang out in groups, with most of them staying well hidden by the scrub, and one or two birds (almost always male) acting as sentry for the group. The sentry will perch atop the vegetation or on a fence post and keep an eye out for potential predators. Depending on the distance and/or nature of the threat, he may warn them to take cover (if they're feeding in the open) or flee the area - which they do with a rumbling flutter of wings.
Because they favor brushy habitats and tall grasses, you will often see them without hearing them. They have a mix of quiet clucks, but their unmistakable signature sound is the "Chicago" call. This bird was just a few feet away and was only "visible" when branches moved as it scrambled through the brush, but there was no question of its ID when it called.
So, why do they sneak about like that? Well perhaps you know that they're galliformes, members of the same family as grouse and turkeys and ...chicken. So lots of hungry animals find them tasty. Coyotes, foxes, bobcats, hawks and owls... and, of course, people. That's why they're masters of "Duck and Cover".
And like many creatures who find themselves lower on the food chain, they have large broods. The photo above was taken in late winter, just before breeding season, and this pair looks to be in great condition for the effort ahead. In a few months, they'll be leading a group of fuzzy little walnuts around and trying to keep them safe. Quail chicks are precocial, meaning that they're capable of moving about on their own shortly after birth.
I don't have any photos of quail chicks, but I do have a few closeups of fully grown birds. This is a female, with the all-brown coloration that keeps her safe(r) while she's sitting on her ground nest.
This male is transitioning from his juvenile plumage to adult plumage. What I think is so cool about this photo is that you can see the development of the top knot - it's not just one curly feather, but actually a small cluster of comma-shaped feathers, nested within each other when they're fully grown. Since these ones are still coming in, you can see the separate shafts of each feather.
Just a few more, because I love quail...
In the mists of Pt. Reyes...
We're at our cabin this weekend, so I'll be in and out of the diary.