Scientific Name: Callipepla gambelii

Residency: Year-round in southern and western Arizona.

Diet: Seeds, grain, cactus fruit, leaves/green plants, a few insects. Forages primarily in the early morning and late afternoon. Will visit seed feeders on the ground.

Predators: Adults are taken by Bobcats, Cooper's, and Harris' Hawk. Coachwhip, King snake, Gopher snake, and Gila Monsters eat eggs.

Nesting: Female builds a cup-shaped nest on the ground, under vegetation, and lines it with grass and feathers. She lays eggs once or twice per year. Each clutch may have 8 to 14 eggs (dull white with brown spots). After hatching, the male may take over as care-taker, so the female can start a second clutch.

Nesting Records:

Notes: The Gambel's Quail form winter flocks of up to 20 birds each, called a covey. The covey splits up for the breeding season. This species has adapted to the dry desert climate, but it reproduces best after good winter rainfall. The Gambel's Quail may hybridize with Scaled Quail.

Photo: Photo at right was taken at Scottsdale Community College on April 20, 2002. For more photos click on camera icon.

To return to bird species list, close or minimize this window.