Gambel's quail

Gambel's quail
Male Gambel's quail in Las Vegas, Nevada
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Galliformes
Family:	Odontophoridae
Genus:	Callipepla
Species:	C. gambelii
Binomial name
Callipepla gambelii (Gambel, 1843)

Gambel's quail (Callipepla gambelii) is a small ground-dwelling bird in the

The species is not as widely introduced as the related California quail. It was, however, released on San Clemente Island in 1912 by Charles T. Howland et al., where it is currently still established.^[2]

Description

The Callipepla gambelii birds are easily recognized by their top knots and scaly plumage on their undersides. Gambel's quail have bluish-gray plumage on much of their bodies, and males have copper feathers on the top of their heads, black faces, and white stripes above their eyes. The bird's average length is 11 in (28 cm) with a wingspan of 14–16 in (36–41 cm). These birds have relatively short, rounded wings and long, featherless legs. Its diet consists primarily of plant matter and seeds.^[3]

Gambel's quail can be commonly confused with

There are two recognized subspecies:^[5]

• C. g. fulvipectus (Nelson, 1899) – fulvous-breasted quail – southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico to southern Sonora in Mexico
• C. g. gambelii (Gambel, 1843) – nominate – Utah and Nevada through Mojave Desert to Colorado, northeastern Baja California and Tiburón Island.

Behavior

Gambel's quail primarily move about by walking and can move surprisingly fast through brush and undergrowth. They are a non-migratory species and are rarely seen in flight. Any flight is usually short and explosive, with many rapid wingbeats, followed by a slow glide to the ground. In the late summer, fall, and winter, the adults and immature young congregate into coveys of many birds. In the spring, Gambel's quail pair off for mating and become very aggressive toward other pairs. The chicks are decidedly more

• 
  A pair at Indianapolis Zoo (male on left and female on right)
• 
  Male and female Gambel's quail in Mesa, Arizona
• 
  Gambel's Quail nest in San Tan Valley, Arizona
• 
  Adults with chicks
• 
  Gambel's quail chicks at Joshua Tree National Park
• 
  Male
• 
  Female

References

Sources

• Huey, Laurence M. (1932). "Some Light on the Introduction of Gambel Quail on San Clemente Island, California" (PDF). Condor. 34 (1). Cooper Ornithological Society: 46.
  JSTOR 1363791
  .
• Thomson, Matthew (2001). "Callipepla gambelii Gambel's quail". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
• Zink, Robert M.; Blackwell, Rachelle C. (1998). "Molecular systematics of the Scaled Quail complex (genus Callipepla)" (PDF).
  JSTOR 4089198
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gambel's Quail.

Wikispecies has information related to Callipepla gambelii.

• Gambel's Quail videos at Tree of Life
• "Gambel's Quail media".
  Internet Bird Collection
  .
• Stamps^[usurped] (for Mexico, United States) with Range Map at bird-stamps.org
• Gambel's Quail photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
• Interactive range map of Callipepla gambelii at IUCN Red List maps