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ShrublandCavity nestMedium · 166 g
ID tip
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. Their 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. Their diet consists primarily of plant matter and seeds. Gambel's quail can be commonly confused with California quail due to their similar plumage.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Gambel's Quail
One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is April, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Gambel's Quail
The map shades 2 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
Recorded as a rare visitor in Canada.
About the Gambel's Quail
Gambel's quail is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It inhabits the desert regions of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and Sonora; also New Mexico-border Chihuahua and the Colorado River region of Baja California. Gambel's quail is named in honor of William Gambel, a 19th-century naturalist and explorer of the Southwestern United States.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Scaled QuailCallipepla squamataThis bird is named for the scaly appearance of its breast and back feathers.
Elegant QuailCallipepla douglasiiThe elegant quail grows to a length of about 25 cm (10 in).
California QuailCallipepla californicaThese birds have a curving crest, plume or topknot, longer in males than females.
Side by side: California Quail vs Gambel's Quail · Gambel's Quail vs Scaled Quail · Elegant Quail vs Gambel's Quail
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