About the Mountain Quail
The mountain quail is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. This species is the only one in the genus Oreortyx, which is sometimes included in Callipepla. This is not appropriate, however, as the mountain quail's ancestors diverged from other New World quails earlier than the bobwhites, no later than 6 mya.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The bird's average length is 26–28 cm (10–11 in), with a wingspan of 35–40 cm (14–16 in). They have relatively short, rounded wings and long, featherless legs. These birds are easily recognized by their topknots, which are shorter in the female and change color with the seasons and geographic location of particular populations. They have a brown face, gray breast, brown back and primaries, and heavily white barred underside. Females display greater brown coloring on their dorsal side, a paler red on their undersides, and wider white barring on the flank than their male counterparts.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Mountain Quail sounds like
Where the Mountain Quail lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Canada.
When to see the Mountain Quail
Peak activity in May · a summer visitor species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Scaled QuailCallipepla squamataThis bird is named for the scaly appearance of its breast and back feathers.
Crested BobwhiteColinus cristatusAdult crested bobwhite are about 178 to 216 millimetres (7.0 to 8.5 in) long.
Montezuma QuailCyrtonyx montezumaeAt about 22 cm (8.75 in), it is one of the shortest quails of North America, although it weighs 122–230 g (4.3–8.1 oz), the same as some Callipepla quails that are somewhat taller.
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