Gambel’s Quail

Quails are scratching, chicken-like birds about the same size as a pigeon. The male wears a black topknot curving forward over its black face and reddish crown. The breast is Grey, the belly buff colored with a black patch and a bluish-gray back.  The female is  tan with a smaller topknot.

Winter rains and vitamin A

The number of  Gambel’s quail that hatch this spring depends almost entirely on rainfall coming at the right time.  If adequate winter rain falls, the desert blooms with weeds and wildflowers. The quail relish the green growth and vitamin A provided by the plants triggers the bird’s sexual response.  The plant growth that results in quail pairing, nest construction and laying of a big clutches of eggs, also means there will be plenty of seeds available when the young begin to forage.

April rains and cold winds can spell disaster for eggs in the nest.  If the eggs get too cold,  the embryos die. If the chicks get wet, especially late in the day, they will perish in the cold of the night from hypothermia. While winter rains affect their annual quail population, their numbers wax and wane depending on weather, predation, suitable habitat and food.  Quails and white-winged doves seem to like neighborhood yards and are usually around in good numbers..

60 to 70% mortality

They usually begin breeding as early as February and later in higher elevations. Nesting begins shortly afterward and peaks in mid June. Clawing and using sharp beaks, the quail hollow out a bowl-shaped nest in the ground to hold the nine to 15 speckled, buff-colored eggs. Sixty to 70% of the young born each spring and early summer have died, one way or the other, by early winter.  They spend the summer together roosting in trees and shrubs.

Males stand guard

When a group is foraging for food they post one or more guards to sound the alarm if danger approaches.  It is not unusual to have a group of 6 to 12 quails scratching in the yard searching for food.  There is always a male pacing on a nearby wall or perched on a plant standing a nervous watch.

Many predators

The eggs of the Gambel’s quail are eaten by rodents, reptiles and other birds. Mature birds are preyed upon by owls and hawks.  Once while touring Sabino Canyon in Tucson, a red-tailed hawk swooped to within 6 feet of where our group was standing, grabbed a quail and flew off. It was over in seconds. Predators include Gila monsters, Harris hawks, great horned owls, rattlesnakes, and roadrunners.