In the grasslands and mesquite scrub of the arid west, the Scaled Quail is a study in subtlety. A relative of the Bobwhite, this petite ground bird is clad in light blue and gray and prefers to run rather than fly from danger. And yet, it becomes conspicuous around ranches, when not disturbed. The Scaled Quail is known for its contact call, "Pay-cos," that seems to echo the Pecos, where it is most common.
The Scaled Quail looks like a miniature chicken with a beautiful, intricate plumage. The light brownish head is adorned with a short, bushy crest, which is tipped white. The eye is dark brown, and the small, stout bill is black. The scaled pattern consists of blue gray feathers edged black around the neck and through the breast and yellowish feathers edged black from the breast through the undertail. White flecks mark the brownish sides. The upperparts are plain grey brown with white lines marking the border between the wing and the back. The tail is bluish grey. The thick legs and feet are dull brown. The sexes are similar, but breeding males have a more lightly-colored head, with a tinge of blue, a yellow face, and a larger, whiter crest. This quail grows to about 10 inches long with a 14 inch wingspan and weighs 6 ounces.
The range of the Scaled Quail is centered on the Chihuahuan Desert, which straddles the U. S. / Mexican border from south central Texas west to about Nogales, Arizona. This small quail is resident from southeastern Colorado south through central Mexico to the states of Queretaro and Guanajuato. In the United States, breeding and wintering concentrations are most dense in west Texas and the border region between Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico.
Three basic habitats are required by the Scaled Quail: cover, open areas, and concealment. Dry grasslands (not solid grass like sod) are produced by native bunchgrass (little bluestem, switchgrass, and tobosa). This cover is used for nesting, foraging, and wintering. Young quail need open areas with screens of vegetation, and all ages need scrub cactus, or low woods to hide from predators and bad weather, year round. Fourwing littleleaf, mesquite, saltbush, shin oak, skunkbush sumac, and yucca are important scrub species. The Scaled Quail roosts on the ground, usually in a circle with its tail pointing inward.
Walking on the ground, the Scaled Quail forages in the morning and the evening. Its omnivorous diet changes with the season, but seeds are important year round. Favored seeds include snakeweed, thistle, mesquite, broomweed, spurges, ragweed, pigweed (
Amaranthus species), and flax. In spring and summer, the Scaled Quail consumes more insects than its relatives: ants, beetles, desert termites, and leafhoppers. Insects are probably important for young quail. Green leaves are eaten in winter and spring, and the fruits of the prickly pear and desert Christmas cactuses supplement the diet in autumn.
Breeding activity begins as early as the middle of March and extends into the third week of September, but the Scaled Quail usually only produces one brood per year. Courtship displays include the male's mating call, a harsh whistle, and posturing with erect feathers. Pairs appear to form in winter flocks (coveys) and wander off to find a nest site under brush, cactus, farm equipment, or dense weeds. The nest is a simple scrape in dry dirt, lined with fine vegetation. For about three weeks, the female incubates 5 to 22 cream-colored eggs, marked with faded brown splotches.
At hatching, Scaled Quail chicks are highly developed. Within hours, they can follow their parents, feed themselves, hide when threatened, and return to their parents with contact calls. Both adults attend the chicks, and males usually guard against predators and rival males. Defenses include alarm calls and distraction displays. The young grow very quickly and make short flights at a month old. Family bonds disintegrate as coveys form for winter. Young Scaled Quail can breed in the spring following their hatching.
The Scaled Quail does not migrate and maintains a home range. In winter, this quail forms flocks called coveys of 5 to 150 birds, with an average of about 30 individuals.
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