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A photo of a California Quail (Callipepla californica), male
California Quail, Male

California Quail

Callipepla californica

The California quail (Callipepla californica), also known as the California valley quail or Valley quail, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. These birds have a curving crest or plume, made of six feathers, that droops forward: black in males and brown in females; the flanks are brown with white streaks. Males have a dark brown cap and a black face with a brown back, a grey-blue chest and a light brown belly. Females and immature birds are mainly grey-brown with a light-colored belly. Their closest relative is Gambel's quail, which has a more southerly distribution and a longer crest at 2.5 in (6.4 cm), a brighter head and lacks the scaly appearance of the California quail. The two species separated about 1–2 million years ago, during the Late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene. It was selected as the state bird of California in 1931.
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California Quails on Birda

Photos

Sightings

A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Alex Wight
Alex Wight
Tuesday 26 Sep 2023 - 1:12am
United States
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Alex Wight
Alex Wight
Tuesday 26 Sep 2023 - 1:12am
United States
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Alex Wight
Alex Wight
Tuesday 26 Sep 2023 - 1:12am
United States
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Alex Wight
Alex Wight
Tuesday 26 Sep 2023 - 1:12am
United States
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