BIODIVERSITY
California Quail
Callipepla californica
Photo Credit: Alan Sparkman
Male
Female
California quail live in pairs or in larger groups throughout campus, and their songs resonate from lookouts on shrubs (chicAgo-chicAgo-chicAAAgo!). You may also hear their tapping, rapid-fire call as they move deep within the shrubs.
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In the spring, a favorite sight on campus is a string of tiny fledglings running along after their parents. See the Breeding Birds page for a video of a little fledgling hiding under its father's wings.
Audio Credit: Thomas Everest (1), Henry Zylstra (2)
MARGARET TAYLOR
California Quail (Luc-bat)
Out of misty morn they
descend, ready to play along
paths. Ghosts is the last word, wrong
to describe them; strut strong and proud
in chestnut and gold, loud
kurr-kurrs proclaim their crowd as here.
Atop their crowns are mere
baubles that make it clear they are
jesters, with crescents, white stars
across cloudy gray sky, dark faces, rotund
bodies, they vanish.
Photo Credit: Henry Zylstra (1,2)