California Quail vs Scaled Quail
Callipepla californica compared with Callipepla squamata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | California Quail | Scaled Quail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Callipepla californica | Callipepla squamata |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Odontophoridae | Odontophoridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 21.6 cm (8.5 in) | 23.2 cm (9.1 in) |
| Weight | 176.05000000000004 g (6.21 oz) | 195.5 g (6.90 oz) |
| Diet | Omnivorous; eats seeds, leaves, berries, and insects in chaparral and open woodland of western North … | Feeds on seeds, leaves, and cacti in arid southwestern US scrubland. Takes invertebrates especially during … |
| Clutch Size | 1-26 | 3-16 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
California Quail
Male delivers a loud, emphatic chi-CA-go three-note call; coveys scatter with rapid, chattering clucks. The musical three-note assembly call is one of the most recognized sounds of California chaparral and …
Scaled Quail
Male gives a nasal, emphatic pay-COS call; coveys scatter with rapid, chattering clucks. The distinctive, nasal pay-COS call is the species' advertising call; carries across desert grassland.
Geographic Range & Migration
California Quail
Resident in California, Oregon, Washington, and introduced widely in western North America. Found in chaparral, open woodland, and scrubby grassland.
Scaled Quail
Resident in the semi-arid grasslands and desert scrub of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Found in arid and semi-arid plains.
Conservation Status
California Quail
Scaled Quail
How to Tell Them Apart
California Quail
Male has blue-grey breast, scaly black-edged belly, chestnut flanks with white streaks, black face with white borders, brown crown, and forward-curving black teardrop plume. Female brown and streaked.
Scaled Quail
Bluish-grey overall with black-edged feathers creating prominent scaly pattern on breast and flanks; white-tipped crest fluffy and pale; back brownish-grey; sexes similar but female slightly duller.
About These Birds
California Quail
The state bird of California, a small New World quail (~175 g) of family Odontophoridae, males with a distinctive teardrop-shaped head plume. Native to chaparral, woodland edges, and gardens of western North America; widely introduced elsewhere. Forages in coveys for seeds and plant matter. Least Concern; abundant, highly adaptable, and a popular game bird.
Scaled Quail
A medium-sized New World quail (~195 g) of family Odontophoridae, with scaly grey-brown plumage and a whitish cottontop crest. Inhabits semi-arid shrublands, grasslands, and desert scrub from the southwestern United States to central Mexico. Forages in coveys for seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern; well adapted to arid environments, commonly hunted for sport.