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  • Home
  • APAL
    • A-PAL History >
      • A-PAL Humane Society Leadership Team
      • APAL Leadership Opportunities
    • APAL Programs >
      • The Rusty Fund >
        • Rusty's Pet Tails
      • Save the Kittens
      • Spay or Neuter
      • Second Chance K9 >
        • TCK9-2014 Graduates
      • Community Cats >
        • Understanding Feral Cats
        • How to Trap a Feral Cat
      • Special Needs >
        • Special Needs Stories
      • Adopt a Friend
      • Trap-Neuter-Return
      • APAL Tracking Our Progress
    • Support A-PAL >
      • Volunteer for APAL
      • Foster for A-Pal >
        • Foster Forms >
          • Foster Program Protocol
          • Kitten Health Checklist
          • Kitten Growth Chart
          • Guide to Feline URI
      • Donate to A-PAL >
        • Donate your Car
        • Giving Tuesday 2020
      • A-PAL Wish List
      • A-PAL Facility Sponsor
    • APAL Events >
      • APAL Calendar
      • APAL Past Events >
        • SantaPaws2019
        • Bark in the Park 2019
        • Whiskers and Wine 2017
        • Whiskers and Wine 2014
        • Bark in the Park 2014
        • Whiskers and Wine 2015
        • Bark In The Park 2015
        • Maui Raffle
        • Santa Paws 2015
    • Partners >
      • Shelter Partners >
        • Shelter Partners on TSPN
        • Dec14News-PitBulls
        • Jan15News-Excel
        • Feb15News-BenefitsOfPets
        • Feb15News-HarmfulAlgaeBlooms
        • Mar15News-Hoarding
        • Apr15News-TNR
        • Sep15News-QAMargeB
        • Oct15News-ButteFire
        • Oct15News-Bats
        • Nov15News-SeparationAnxiety
        • Dec15News-Tips4Treats
        • Jan16-Volunteer
        • Apr16-TNR
        • July16News-Center
        • Sep16News-ACART
        • Nov17News-ServiceDogs
  • TCWC
    • Find an animal in need? >
      • Audio Wildlife Tips
      • WhereAreWe
    • TCWC History >
      • TCWC Leadership Team
      • TCWC Leadership Opportunities
    • Wildlife Programs >
      • Education >
        • TCWC Education Events >
          • TCWC Education Animals
        • WildlifeSavesUs
        • Living Wildlife Friendly >
          • Save the Bees
          • Holiday Decorations
          • Kill That Lawn
          • Songbird Concert Tips
          • Holiday Trash
          • Alert Your Birds
          • Water to Help the Critters!
          • Bread is for Sandwiches
          • No Dogs Allowed
          • Repurpose to Feed the Birds
          • GoNative
          • Netting It Out
          • Balloons
          • E-Waste
          • Organic Food
          • AllThatGlitters
          • Fly Strips and Glue Traps
          • Toxic Household Products
          • Recycling Pumpkins
          • Tree Trimming Tips
          • Saving Venomous Species
          • Think Biodegradeable
        • Nuisance Wildlife >
          • Nuisance-SayNoToTrapping
          • Foxlights
          • Wildproof Your Home
        • Gold Country Critters
        • Keep Them Wild and Free
        • TCWC Videos
        • Points to Ponder
      • TCWC-Tracking Our Progress >
        • TCWC 2016 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2017 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2018 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2019 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2020 Impact Report
      • TCWC Patients >
        • Success Stories >
          • 1 - Opossum Call
          • 2 - Raccoon Behind the Grill!
          • 3 - Saving a Raven
          • LongTripHome
          • Anita's Bird Comes Home
          • College the Wild Way
          • Releases
        • TCWC Critter Show
    • TCWC Events >
      • TCWC Calendar >
        • GivingTuesday2020
        • TCWC-WildlifeClasses2020
        • TCWC-WildlifeWorkshop2020
        • Paws&Claws2020
      • Past TCWC Events >
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        • No Dinner-Dinner
        • Paws&Claws 2018
        • AnimalScapes
        • Paws & Claws 2016
        • TCWC Grand Opening
        • Wildlife Workshop 2014
        • Paws & Claws 2014
        • Hot Rod Heaven 2014
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        • TCWC-No Shower Baby Shower
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      • Art - the Cooper's Hawk
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      • Trash Kitty!
      • Gretchen&Ginger
      • MajesticBird
      • DuckTherapy
      • MrJunco
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      • MeetMandy
      • Furrever - Chloe
      • Charlie the Corgi
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October 2017 - The California Quail

PicturePhoto courtesy of Frank R. Perez
Do you know the state bird of California? It is the California quail!

Their most striking feature is the curving, black topknot on their head. This topknot that looks like a single feather is really six overlapping feathers. The male’s topknot is larger than the female’s.

These are plump game birds with a short neck, small head and bill and short but broad wings. Adult males have a black face with bold white face markings. Both sexes have white, creamy and chestnut feathers that look like scales on the underside. The youngsters look like the females but have a shorter topknot.

These are ground birds. They can fly, but usually only to get to cover and away from danger. Time on the ground is spent strutting and scratching looking for food. They eat mostly seeds, but also eat leaves, flowers, grain, manzanita and poison oak berries, acorns, caterpillars, beetles, mites, millipedes and snails. Protozoans in their intestines help to digest vegetation. The young chicks acquire these protozoans by pecking at the feces of adults. They have adapted well to living in an arid environment and rarely need to drink water. Instead, they get their moisture from succulent plants and insects.

California quail nest on the ground. They make a shallow depression and line it with grasses and stems. It is carefully placed at the base of plants or near rocks to hide it from predators. Multiple females may lay eggs in the same nest with a single nest containing 28 eggs! All parents will care for the young from this communal nest.

Only the female incubates the eggs for about three weeks. A day after hatching, the young are ready to scurry after parents. The young are “precocial” meaning they are ambulatory and able to feed themselves soon after hatching.

Quails form groups called “coveys” numbering as many as 75 to 100 birds. They spend their nights roosting in trees and during the day forage on the ground for food. They spend a good part of the day in shrubs enjoying the shade and protection from predators.

Though they are “California” Quail, they are also found in Oregon, Washington, and Baja California. They have also been introduced in New Zealand; Kilauea, Hawaii and in the Monte Desert of Argentina.

The oldest known quail was 6 years, 11 months old.

Tri County Wildlife Care, a local nonprofit started in 1994, is dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of our native wildlife and helping our community live in balance with wildlife. They envision a world where wildlife and people thrive together. For more information call (209) 283-3245, or visit pawspartners.org.

Learn More!
Wikipedia
Cornell
Audubon

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