The scaled quail (''Callipepla squamata''), also commonly called blue quail or cottontop, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of the

New World quail The New World quail are small birds, that despite their similar appearance and habits to the Old World quail, belong to a different family known as the Odontophoridae. In contrast, the Old World quail are in the Phasianidae family, sharing only a ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

. It is a bluish gray bird found in the

arid Aridity is the condition of geographical regions which make up approximately 43% of total global available land area, characterized by low annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and limited water availability.Perez-Aguilar, L. Y., Plata ...

regions of the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

to Central

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. This species is an early offshoot of the genus ''

Callipepla ''Callipepla'' is a genus of birds in the New World quail The New World quail are small birds, that despite their similar appearance and habits to the Old World quail, belong to a different family known as the Odontophoridae. In contrast, the ...

'', diverging in the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

. The nest is typically a grass-lined hollow containing 9–16 speckled eggs. When disturbed, it prefers to run rather than fly. Widespread and common throughout its range, the scaled quail is evaluated as Least Concern on the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological spe ...

Distribution and taxonomy

Scaled quail occur from south-central Arizona, northern

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, east-central Colorado, and southwestern Kansas south through western Oklahoma and western and central Texas into Mexico to northeastern

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...

, Queretaro,

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico :''Most, if not all, named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753–1811)'' * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coah ...

, and western

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. It is located in nor ...

. It has been introduced to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

and to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in Hawaii, central Washington, eastern Nevada, and Nebraska, but is only considered established in central Washington and eastern Nevada.Sibley, Charles G.; Monroe, Burt L. Jr. (1990). Distribution and taxonomy of the birds of the world. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press Scaled quail has formed several

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

, 3 of which range into the USA: *''Callipepla squamata squamata'' Vigors, 1830 (Altiplano scaled quail). The

nominate subspecies In biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. ...

; it is only found on the Central Plateau (''altiplano'') of

. *''Callipepla squamata pallida''

Brewster Brewster may refer to: People *Brewster (surname) *Brewster Kahle (born 1960), American computer technologist * Brewster H. Shaw (born 1945), American astronaut * Grace Brewster Hopper (born 1906), American computer scientist, mathematician, and ...

, 1881 (northern scaled quail). The most common subspecies, it occurs from

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

and

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

and just into

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, and western

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, northern Chihuahua, and

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

. It is paler than the nominate subspecies. *''Callipepla squamata hargravei'' Rea, 1973 (Upper Sonoran scaled quail). A form of

habitat, it is only found in the area where the states of Colorado,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

and Oklahoma meet, and in northwestern New Mexico. It is the palest subspecies, adapted to dry and sandy habitat. *''Callipepla squamata castanogastris'' Brewster, 1883 (chestnut-bellied scaled quail). Found in southern Texas from Eagle Pass and

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

south to adjacent northwestern Mexico (

Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...

Nuevo León Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...

, and

). Similar individuals are sometimes found in the extreme northeast and west of the species' range.Schemnitz, Sanford D. (1994): Scaled Quail (''Callipepla squamata''). ''In:'' Poole, A. & Gill, F.: ''The Birds of North America'' 106. The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA & The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. The chestnut brown belly distinguishes it from all other subspecies; it is also darker than the other two found in the USA.

Plant communities

According to Ligon,Ligon, J. S. (1961). New Mexico birds and where to find them. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press the distribution of scaled quail is largely coextensive with mesquite (''

Prosopis ''Prosopis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The current circumscription of the genus contains three species found in northern Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia. Previously it also contained around 40 species ...

'' spp.), condalia (''

Condalia ''Condalia'' is a genus of Thorns, spines, and prickles, spiny shrubs in the Tribe (biology), tribe Rhamneae of the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae. It was named for Antonio Condal, an 18th century Spain, Spanish physician. Members of the genus are ...

'' spp.), and cholla (''

Cylindropuntia ''Cylindropuntia'' is a genus of cacti (family (biology), family Cactaceae), containing species commonly known as chollas ( ), native to northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. They are known for their barbed thorns, spines, and prick ...

'' spp.). In Oklahoma, scaled quail occur in sand sagebrush (''

Artemisia filifolia ''Artemisia filifolia'', known by common names including sand sagebrush, sand sage and sandhill sage, is a species of flowering plant in the aster family. It is native to North America, where it occurs from Nevada east to South Dakota and fro ...

'')-grassland, pinyon-juniper (''Pinus'' spp.-''Juniperus'' spp.), and shortgrass High Plains.DeGraaf, Richard M.; Scott, Virgil E.; Hamre, R. H.; ''et al.'' (1991). Forest and rangeland birds of the United States: Natural history and habitat use. Agric. Handb. 688. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Sand sagebrush-grasslands include sand sagebrush, soapweed yucca (''

Yucca glauca ''Yucca glauca'' ( syn. ''Yucca angustifolia'') is a species of perennial evergreen plant, adapted to xeric (dry) growth conditions. It is also known as small soapweed, soapweed yucca, Spanish bayonet, and Great Plains yucca. ''Yucca glauca'' ...

''), skunkbush sumac ('' Rhus trilobata''), and sand plum ('' Prunus watsonii''). Scaled Quail in Oklahoma inhabit rough or rolling land, especially where sagebrush ('' Artemisia'' spp.), mesquite, cactus (''

Opuntia ''Opuntia'', commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers. Cacti are native to the Americas, and are well adapted to arid clima ...

'' spp. and others), yucca (''

Yucca ''Yucca'' ( , YUCK-uh) is both the scientific name and common name for a genus native to North America from Panama to southern Canada. It contains 50 accepted species. In addition to yucca, they are also known as Adam's needle or Spanish-bayon ...

'' spp.), juniper, sand shinnery oak (''

Quercus havardii ''Quercus havardii'' (common names include shinnery oak, shin oak and Havard oak) is a deciduous, low-growing, thicket-forming shrub that occupies some in the southern Great Plains of North America. Clones may reach hundreds to thousands of yea ...

''), and rocks furnish cover. In Colorado, scaled quail occupy sand sagebrush and/or yucca stands on sandy soils. The cover types used by scaled quail in Colorado are, in descending order, sand sagebrush-grassland, pinyon-juniper, dense cholla-grassland, dryland farmland, irrigated farmland, and greasewood (''

Sarcobatus ''Sarcobatus'' is a North American genus of two species of flowering plants, formerly considered to be a single species. Common names for ''S. vermiculatus'' include greasewood, seepwood, and saltbush. Traditionally, ''Sarcobatus'' has been ...

'' spp.)-saltbush (''

Atriplex ''Atriplex'' () is a plant genus of about 250 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache (; also spelled orach). It belongs to the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae ''s.l.''. The genus is quite variable and ...

'' spp.) washes. Scaled Quail made little or no use of sparse cholla-grassland, riparian areas, reseeded grasslands, or

shortgrass prairie The shortgrass prairie is an ecosystem located in the Great Plains of North America. The two most dominant grasses in the shortgrass prairie are blue grama (''Bouteloua gracilis'') and buffalograss (''Bouteloua dactyloides''), the two less domin ...

disclimax.Hoffman, Donald M. (1965). The scaled quail in Colorado: Range–population status–harvest. Tech. Publ. No. 18. Denver, CO: Colorado Department of Game, Fish, and Parks

Timing of major life events

In Arizona, pairing and maximum dispersal is complete by mid-June. Nesting probably does not begin until early July. In Oklahoma, egg laying usually starts in late April. Completed clutches have been found as early as May 8. Egg laying occurs from March to June in Texas and Mexico, and from April to September in New Mexico. Nests with eggs were reported as early as April 15 in New Mexico. Scaled quail lay from 9 to 16 eggs; most clutches are 12 to 14 eggs. Eggs are incubated by the female for 21 to 23 days. Double-brooding (the production of two consecutive broods in one season) is common. In west Texas, Wallmo observed the male rearing the first brood while the female began a second clutch. Sutton stated, however, that scaled quail in Oklahoma are probably single-brooded, but have hatched broods as late as September 6. Ehrlich and others also list scaled quail as single-brooded. The precocial young leave the nest shortly after hatching. They are accompanied by at least one, usually both, parents, who show them how to find food. The young fledge rapidly (age at fledging not reported in the literature), and are adult size in 11 to 15 weeks.Ehrlich, Paul R.; Dobkin, David S.; Wheye, Darryl. (1988) The birder's handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc. . Scaled quail are fairly sedentary. The winter home ranges of scaled quail coveys varied from . The home ranges of separate coveys overlap only slightly or not at all. From September to November scaled quail coveys maintain stable territories.Goodwin, John G., Jr.; Hungerford, C. Roger. 1977. Habitat use by native Gambel's and scaled quail and released masked bobwhite quail in southern Arizona. Res. Pap. RM-197. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. In Arizona, 75 to 90% of a population apparently moved off of a breeding area by mid-November, moving to nearby mountain foothills. The mountain habitat was consistent with that found on the breeding area. In March the population on the breeding area increased again, with most birds in groups of four to eight. The average winter covey size for scaled quail is around 30 birds, although coveys of up to 150 birds have been reported.

Preferred habitat

Scaled quail inhabit dry, open valleys, plains, foothills, rocky slopes, draws, gullies, and canyons that have a mixture of bare ground, low herbaceous growth, and scattered brushy cover. Good scaled quail habitat is characterized by low-growing grasses with forbs and shrubs. Overall ground cover is between 10 and 50%. Trees and shrubs should be less than tall. Scaled quail avoid the dense growth associated with streamsides. Transmitter-fitted scaled quail had individual home range sizes of . An absolute requirement by scaled quail for a source of open water has not been established; there is some debate in the literature whether there is such a requirement. Johnsgard, Paul A. (1988) The quails, partridges, and francolins of the world. New York: Oxford University Press Schemnitz, Sanford D. (1961). Ecology of the scaled quail in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Wildlife Monographs: No. 8. Bethesda, MD: The Wildlife Society, pp. 5–47 Scaled quail have been reported as inhabiting an area from the nearest water in Arizona. In New Mexico, it was not unusual to find Scaled Quail from water. Wallmo Wallmo, O. C. 1956. Ecology of scaled quail in west Texas. Contribution of the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act; Special report: Project W-57-R; Department of Wildlife Management, A & M College of Texas. Austin, TX: Texas Game and Fish Commission, Division of Wildlife Restoration. observed winter coveys from water in Big Bend National Park in southwestern Texas. In Arizona, scaled quail summer habitat is seldom within of water. Scaled quail were observed drinking at stock tanks from April to June (which was a dry period during the course of the study) every 2 to 3 days. In Oklahoma, scaled quail often migrate to farms and ranches in winter and are thus closer to a source of water in winter than in summer. DeGraaf and others reported that in winter, scaled quail are usually found within of a source of water.

Cover requirements

Feeding cover: scaled quail use grass clumps and shrubs for cover while feeding. In one study they were frequently seen crossing of bare ground. When disturbed, scaled quail hid in snakeweed (''

Gutierrezia ''Gutierrezia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to western North America and western South America. Plants of this genus are known generally as snakeweeds or matchweeds. Some species have been called greasewood. ...

'' spp.) or in grass clumps. In June and July foraging occurs on open grasslands which are not used at other times. Loafing cover: scaled quail coveys occupy loafing or resting cover after early morning feeding periods. Scaled quail occupy desert grassland or desert scrub with a minimum of one loafing covert per approximately .Harrison, H. H. (1979). A field guide to western birds' nests. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. .Campbell, Howard; Martin, Donald K.; Ferkovich, Paul E.; Harris, Bruce K. (1973). Effects of hunting and some other environmental factors on scaled quail in New Mexico. Wildlife Monographs No. 34. Bethesda, MD: The Wildlife Society In northwestern Texas, loafing coverts were characterized by: (1) overhead woody cover, (2) lateral screening cover, (3) a central area with bare soil, and (4) one or more paths through the lateral cover. Covert heights ranged from high and in diameter. Cholla formed all or part of the overhead cover of 85% of coverts, even though they were dominant at only 12% of the study locations. In areas where scaled quail occur without cholla, woody species such as wolfberry (''

Lycium ''Lycium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The genus has a disjunct distribution around the globe, with species occurring on most continents in temperate and subtropical regions. South America has the most spec ...

'' spp.) and mesquite are important for overhead cover.Stormer, Fred A. (1981). Characteristics of scaled quail loafing coverts in northwest Texas. Res. Note RM-395. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station In Oklahoma pinyon-juniper habitats, scaled quail use the shade of tree cholla (''

Cylindropuntia imbricata ''Cylindropuntia imbricata'', the cane cholla (walking stick cholla, tree cholla, or chainlink cactus), is a cactus found in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico, including some cooler regions in comparison to many other cacti. It o ...

'') and human-made structures. In Arizona, scaled quail occupied wolfberry and mesquite tall for loafing cover. This overhead cover provides midday shade, but is open at the base to allow easy escape from predators. In Oklahoma, winter home ranges always contained skunkbush sumac, tree cholla, or human-made structures providing overhead cover. Night-roosting cover: scaled quail roosts were observed in yucca ('' Yucca angustifolia''), tree cholla, and true mountain-mahogany (''

Cercocarpus montanus ''Cercocarpus montanus'' is a North American species of shrub or small tree in the family Rosaceae native to northern Mexico and the western United States. It is known by the common names alder-leaf mountain-mahogany, alder-leaf cercocarpus, and ...

'')-yucca-fragrant sumac (''

Rhus aromatica ''Rhus aromatica'', commonly known as fragrant sumac, smooth sumac, aromatic sumac, lemon sumac, skunk bush, polecat bush, polecat sumac, or simply sumac, is a deciduous shrub in the family Anacardiaceae native to North America.(1) (2) It is na ...

'') vegetation types. The height of vegetation used for night roosts was less than . Nesting cover: In March or April winter coveys spread out into areas with less cover. This use of areas with less cover coincides with a seasonal decrease in the number of raptors in the same area. Scaled quail nests are constructed under tufts of grasses, and are sheltered by sagebrush (''Artemisia'' spp.), creosotebush (''

Larrea tridentata ''Larrea tridentata'', called creosote bush, greasewood, and chaparral is a medicinal herb. In Sonora, it is more commonly called ''hediondilla''; Spanish ''hediondo'' = "smelly". It is a flowering plant in the family Zygophyllaceae. The specific ...

''), mesquite, catclaw acacia (''

Acacia greggii ''Senegalia greggii'', formerly known as ''Acacia greggii'', is a species of tree in the genus ''Senegalia'' native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, from the extreme south of Utah south through southern Nevada, southeast Cal ...

''), cactus, or yucca; under dead Russian-thistle (''

Salsola kali ''Salsola kali'' is the restored botanical name for a species of flowering plants in the amaranth family that has been treated as ''Kali turgidum''. It is native to Macaronesia, and from the Atlantic coasts of Europe to the Baltic Sea and the Me ...

''), mixed forbs, or soapweed yucca; or sheltered in old machinery or other human-made debris. In Oklahoma, 66% of nests were in one of four situations: (1) dead Russian-thistle, (2) machinery and junk, (3) mixed forbs, and (4) soapweed yucca. In New Mexico, ordination of breeding birds and vegetative microhabitats indicated that scaled quail were associated with increased levels of patchiness and increased cover of mesquite and cactus.

Food habits

Scaled quail are opportunistic eaters. Seeds are consumed year-round. Large seeds (such as those of mesquite and snakeweed) are important in Scaled quail diets. Other seeds include those of elbowbush (''

Forestiera angustifolia ''Forestiera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the olive family, Oleaceae. Members of the genus are often called swampprivets. Most are shrubs. Species There are about 20 species, native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, Ecuador an ...

''), catclaw acacia, mesquite, hackberry (''

Celtis ''Celtis'' is a genus of about 60–70 species of deciduous trees, commonly known as hackberries or nettle trees, in the hemp family Cannabaceae. It has a cosmopolitan distribution. Description ''Celtis'' species are generally medium-sized tree ...

'' spp.), Russian-thistle, rough pigweed (''

Amaranthus retroflexus ''Amaranthus retroflexus'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae with several common names, including red-root amaranth, redroot pigweed, red-rooted pigweed, common amaranth, pigweed amaranth, and common tumbleweed. Outside ...

''), and sunflowers,

ragweed Ragweeds are flowering plants in the genus ''Ambrosia'' in the aster family, Asteraceae. They are distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, especially North America,Paspalum stramineum''), field sandbur ('' Cenchrus pauciflorus''), purslane (''

Portulaca ''Portulaca'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Portulacaceae, and is the type genus of the family. With over 100 species, it is found in the tropics and warm temperate regions. Portulacas are also known as the purslanes. Common p ...

'' spp.), skunkbush sumac, Fendler spurge ('' Euphorbia fendleri''), and leaf bugs. Jimsonweed (''

Datura stramonium ''Datura stramonium'', known by the common names thornapple, jimsonweed (jimson weed), or devil's trumpet, is a poisonous flowering plant in the ''Datureae, Daturae'' Tribe (botany), tribe of the nightshade family Solanaceae. Its likely origi ...

'') and juniper berries were always avoided. Winter foods of the scaled quail in Oklahoma include Russian-thistle and sunflower (''Helianthus'' spp.) seeds. Sutton, George Miksch. (1967). Oklahoma birds: their ecology and distribution with comments on the avifauna of the southern Great Plains. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press In northwestern Texas, selection of foods by scaled quail was dependent on foraging techniques, availability, and seed size. Small seeds were selected when they were still on the plant and could be easily stripped, but were not eaten once they had fallen, presumably because they were too small and/or too hard to find. Broom snakeweed (''

Gutierrezia sarothrae ''Gutierrezia sarothrae'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names broom snakeweed, broomweed, snakeweed, and matchweed. It is a subshrub native to much of the western half of North America, from western ...

'') was a staple in winter diets; it was not highly selected but was consumed in proportion to its availability (and lack of availability of choice items). Generally, in Texas grass seeds (mainly tall dropseed 'Sporobolus asper''">Sporobolus_asper.html" ;"title="'Sporobolus asper">'Sporobolus asper''and rough tridens [''Tridens muticus'']) were major constituents of scaled quail diets. This was attributed to a precipitation pattern that resulted in a relatively higher amount of grass seed available, and a lower amount of available forbs. In the same study green vegetation formed a higher proportion of the diet than reported for other areas.Leif, Anthony P. (1987). Bobwhite and scaled quail responses to burning of redberry juniper- dominated rangelands. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University. Thesis In southwestern Texas, chestnut-bellied scaled quail consumed woody plant seeds and green vegetation. The seeds of brush species comprised 68% of the contents of 32 scaled quail crops. Green food, chiefly wild carrot (''

Daucus carota ''Daucus carota'', whose common names include wild carrot, European wild carrot, bird's nest, bishop's lace, and Queen Anne's lace (North America), is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Old World ...

'') and clover (''

Trifolium Clovers, also called trefoils, are plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversity ...

'' spp.) made up 7.17%. Elbowbush was the single most important source, followed by Roemer acacia (''

Acacia roemeriana ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Australa ...

''), desert-yaupon ('' Schaefferia cuneifolia''), and spiny hackberry (''

Celtis pallida ''Celtis ehrenbergiana'', called the desert hackberry or spiny hackberry, is a plant species that has long been called ''C. pallida'' by many authors, including in the "Flora of North America" database. It is native to Arizona, Florida, New Mexic ...

''). In southeastern New Mexico, staples (comprising at least 5% of scaled quail diet in both summer and winter) were mesquite and croton ('' Croton'' spp.) seeds, green vegetation, and snout beetles. Nonpreferred foods eaten in winter and available but not consumed in summer included broom snakeweed (the main winter food), crown-beard (''

Verbesina encelioides ''Verbesina encelioides'' is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Common names include golden crownbeard, cowpen daisy, gold weed, wild sunflower, butter daisy, crown-beard, American dogweed, and the Spanish Añil del Muerto ("indigo of ...

''), cycloloma (''

Cycloloma atriplicifolium ''Dysphania atriplicifolia'' (synonym ''Cycloloma atriplicifolium'') is species of flowering plant known by the common names winged pigweed, tumble ringwing, plains tumbleweed, and tumble-weed. page 16 This plant is native to central North Amer ...

''), and lace bugs. Mesquite seeds and broom snakeweed seeds together made up 75% of the winter diet.

Grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are amongst what are possibly the most ancient living groups of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grassh ...

s were a summer staple. Insect galls, cicadas, scarab beetles, spurge (''

Euphorbia ''Euphorbia'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family (biology), family Euphorbiaceae. Euphorbias range from tiny annual plants to large and long-lived trees, with perhaps the tallest being ''Eu ...

'' spp.), plains bristlegrass ('' Setaria macrostachya'') seeds, and white ratany (''

Krameria grayi ''Krameria bicolor'' is a perennial shrub or subshrub of the family Krameriaceae, the rhatanies. It is commonly known as white rhatany, crimson-beak, and ''chacate'' in Spanish (''cosahui'' in the state of Sonora). It is found in drier environme ...

'') were consumed in a less pronounced seasonal pattern. Another study reported substantial amounts of prairie sunflower seeds (''

Helianthus petiolaris ''Helianthus petiolaris'' is a North American plant species in the family Asteraceae, commonly known as the prairie sunflower or lesser sunflower. Naturalist and botanist Thomas Nuttall was the first to describe the prairie sunflower in 1821. Th ...

'') and pigweed (''Amaranthus'' spp.) seeds in the diet of scaled quail. Scaled quail feed in alfalfa (''

Medicago ''Medicago'' is a genus of flowering plants, commonly known as medick or burclover, in the legume family (Fabaceae). It contains at least 87 species and is distributed mainly around the Mediterranean Basin, and extending across temperate Eurasia ...

'' spp.) fields.

Predators

In Arizona, potential scaled quail predators include mammals, birds, and reptiles. Most scaled quail kills are made by avian predators including

northern harrier The northern harrier (''Circus hudsonius''), also known as the marsh hawk or ring-tailed hawk, is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost United States, USA. The northern ...

(''Circus cyaneus''),

red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members of ...

(''Buteo jamaicensis''),

American kestrel The American kestrel (''Falco sparverius'') is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. Though it has been called the American sparrowhawk, this common name is a misnomer; the American kestrel is a true falcon, while neither th ...

(''Falco sparverius''),

prairie falcon The prairie falcon (''Falco mexicanus'') is a medium-sized Falconiformes, falcon found in Western North America. A separate species from the peregrine falcon, with which it shares some visual similarities, the prairie falcon is, essentially, an ...

(''Falco mexicanus''), and

great horned owl The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extreme ...

(''Bubo virginianus''). In New Mexico, predators on scaled quail include hawks, owls,

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...

(''Canis latrans''), and snakes. In Colorado, potential predators of scaled quail include coyote,

gray fox The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener (biology), congener, the diminutive island fox ...

(''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''),

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

(''Vulpes vulpes''),

kit fox The kit fox (''Vulpes macrotis'') is a fox species that inhabits arid and semi-arid regions of the southwestern United States and northern and central Mexico. These foxes are the smallest of the four species of ''Vulpes'' occurring in North Amer ...

(''V. velox''),

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the wildcat, bay lynx, or red lynx, is one of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus '' Lynx''. Native to North America, it ranges from southern Canada through most of the c ...

(''Lynx rufus''), northern harrier,

rough-legged hawk The rough-legged buzzard (Europe) or rough-legged hawk (North America) (''Buteo lagopus'') is a medium-large bird of prey. It is found in arctic and subarctic regions of North America, Europe, and Asia during the breeding season, and migrates s ...

(''Buteo lagopus''), prairie falcon,

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...

(''Falco peregrinus''), American kestrel,

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

(''Aquila chrysaetos''), and

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche ...

(''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'').Snyder, Warren D. (1967). Experimental habitat improvement for scaled quail. Game bird surveys. Colorado Division of Wildlife. Project number W-037-R-18/WK.PL.06/JOB 1 Scaled quail are popular gamebirds.

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet
VIREO {{Taxonbar, from=Q786840

scaled quail The scaled quail (''Callipepla squamata''), also commonly called blue quail or cottontop, is a species of the New World quail family. It is a bluish gray bird found in the arid regions of the Southwestern United States to Central Mexico. This spe ...

Game birds Native birds of the Southwestern United States Birds of Mexico Birds of the Rio Grande valleys

Taxa named by Nicholas Aylward Vigors