Hobbies And Interests
Bobwhite Quail
The bobwhite quail is found in large numbers in the eastern and southern United States. With more than 20 subspecies of bobwhite found from Canada to southern Mexico, it is a popular game bird. The bobwhite's habitat includes fields, weed patches, brush and wood. It is a relatively easy type of quail to keep in captivity. The females lay eggs from mid-April throughout the summer.
California Quail
The California quail is a short-necked, plump game bird. It is found throughout California and the northwest United States. The bird inhabits areas where people roam, including city parks, agricultural areas and suburban gardens. The bird spends its time on the ground looking for food in chaparral, oak woodlands, sagebrush and foothill forests. The California quail travels in groups, called coveys.
Mountain Quail
The mountain quail is the largest quail species found in the United States. It is native to the western states of California, Oregon and Washington. The bird has a small round head and a long plume standing straight up. It has a round body, a short tail and a reddish face. The quail will migrate to mountains in the spring to nest and returns to lower ground in fall.
Gambel's Quail
Found in the southwest United States, the Gambel's quail lives in suburbs and open desert. It lives in the hot deserts of the Sonoran, Mohave and Chihuahuan. It scavenges for food in shrubs and under cacti. It eats grass and cactus fruit. The quail has short wings and spends most of its time walking or running along the ground in groups.
Scaled Quail
The scaled quail, also known as the blue quail, gets its name from the finely scaled feathers on its body. It has a pale gray color and bushy white crest. It lives in arid grassland and desert shrub areas in the southern and western United States. The scaled quail can grow to about 10 1/2 inches in length. It is a timid bird which doesn't act out aggressively to other species.
Mearn's Quail
The Mearn's quail has the least extent of range in the United States. It inhabits southern Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas. The bird is also known as the Montezuma quail. The quail has a small, round head with a slightly rounded crest. It lives in grasslands and mountain areas with oak and juniper trees.