Recently I was pleasantly surprised, in my backyard floated three CA quail, two male and one female. Both sexes sported the silly little head bobble plume, though the female did not share the face markings or high contrast belly feathers of the male. After watching these sweet little puffballs, of course, I pulled out my bird app, books, and interwebs. I found that male and female calls are antiphonal. Think call and response mating chorus, an orchestration of birdy amore. How lovely. How Sondheim.
This quail is almost entirely vegetarian (included in their diet are poison oak berries!). Their intestines are home to specialized protozoan that help to digest their diet of plant matter. Forming communal social structures (up to 75 birds), different broods become a collective unit, sharing responsibility for their young. Get this... Adult quail from these collectives live longer than those who do not! Clutches (broods of chicks) are large, and females may lay their eggs in other females nests... talk about "it takes a village."
Ca or Valley quail have adapted to live in arid environments, getting most of their water from the plants and insects they eat, making them perfect for CA's mediterranean drought susceptible climate. Another cool survive skill is females will run from their brood dragging their wings as if they are injured, to lure predators away from their clutch.
Although they do roost in the trees, they spend most of the day on the ground, scratching the ground for seeds and leaves, as well as nesting on the ground. Contrary to popular belief, their mobility is not restricted to running and walking. They fly as well, avoiding predators by staying close to cover at all times. Once hiking behind Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, I decided to sit on a path and take in the scenery. A covey of quail burst from the bushes about 20 feet from me. They walked toward me, unaware at first of my presence. The moment they noticed something weird and big was in the road, they did what I swear was a quail double take and haphazardly jumped into the nearest bush. Then, they came out of the bushes about 20 feet down the path on the other side of where I was sitting! Clever birds.
The most recognizable characteristic of the CA quail is their bobbly head plumage. Although their head feather/plume looks like one feather, it's actually comprised of six feathers. I'm still searching for an answer to why they have the plumage on their heads. My guess is that it's a mating decoration or camouflage.
I've always loved these fat little scaly plumed birds, and they are welcome in my yard any time.
All About Birds: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
No comments:
Post a Comment