Elegant Quail
Callipepla douglasii
The Elegant Quail (Callipepla douglasii) is a rare new world quail found in 2 countries, weighing about 177 g. The elegant quail is a species of New World quail endemic to Pacific-slope thorn forest of north-western Mexico, from southern Sonora to Nayarit.
About the Elegant Quail
The elegant quail is a species of New World quail endemic to Pacific-slope thorn forest of north-western Mexico, from southern Sonora to Nayarit. These are common, mainly ground-dwelling birds, and the IUCN has rated them as being a "species of least concern".
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
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.
What the Elegant Quail sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United States.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, November, December, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an Elegant Quail?
- The elegant quail grows to a length of about 25 cm (10 in). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an Elegant Quail?
- The Elegant Quail is a medium sized bird weighing about 177 g.
- Where can you see an Elegant Quail?
- The Elegant Quail occurs in 2 countries, including Mexico.
- What does an Elegant Quail sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Elegant Quail on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to an Elegant Quail?
- The Elegant Quail is most easily confused with the Scaled Quail, the Gambel's Quail and the California Quail.
- Is the Elegant Quail endangered?
- The Elegant Quail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Elegant Quail for real
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