California Quail
Callipepla californica
These birds have a curving crest, plume or topknot, longer in males than females. Adult males are gray and brown colored, with a black face outlined by white stripes. Females are a plainer brown color and do not have the facial stripes. In terms of size, this bird typically measures 24–27 cm (9.4–10.6 in) in length, 32–37 cm (13–15 in) in wingspan, and weigh 140–230 g (4.9–8.1 oz).
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Elegant Quail
Callipepla douglasii
The elegant quail grows to a length of about 25 cm (10 in). The male has a distinctive long, straight, golden-buff crest (the female's crest is grey). In other ways the sexes are similar in appearance, being mainly grey with spotting and streaking in black, brown and white, and in the case of the male, in reddish-brown as well. The beak is black, the irises are brown and the legs dark grey to black. This bird can be distinguished from the otherwise similar scaled quail (C. squamata), California quail (C. californica), and Gambel's quail (C.
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Where you might meet both
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Play today's Daily BirdPhotos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: California Quail and Elegant Quail.