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How to Find Wild Quail Eggs

There are six species of quail native to North America. The small, ground-dwelling birds are mostly brown and have the long wings necessary for migration. They live in scrub land, where they forage for seeds. Quail nests are invariably well-camouflaged and should be left untouched on discovery.

Instructions

- 1
  Find an area with quail in it. Ideal quail habitat has between 5 and 15 percent woody canopy cover. The birds prefer to creep away from predators rather than fly. This makes them very difficult to spot. Instead, listen for the repetitive call of the male, which is said to sound like "wet-my-lips." This call can most easily be heard in the mornings and evenings during the summer months.
- 2
  Find quail nests hidden on the ground in grasses, crops, shrubs, hedgerows and among weeds on the borders of large fields that are not subject to heavy usage. They will be extremely well camouflaged and may be difficult to access.
- 3
  Identify the eggs as those belonging to quail. They will be small and speckled with patches of dark red or brown. The background color of the shell ranges in color from white to blue or green. All the eggs in the nest will show similar patterns and colors. Quail lay between 6 and 56 eggs after breeding.
- 4
  Leave the eggs in the nest and try not to disturb it. Since the U.S. signed the Migratory Bird Treaty in 1916, it has been illegal to take the nests and eggs of all migratory birds, except for scientific purposes.

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