Scaled Quail Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A compact chickenlike bird with a small head and a distinctive short crest. It has a plump body, short tail, and short, strong legs.

  Relative Size

  Slightly larger than a Northern Bobwhite; about the same size as a Gambel’s Quail.

  between robin and crow

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 10.0-12.0 in (25.4-30.5 cm)
    • Weight: 6.2-6.7 oz (177-191 g)
    • Wingspan: 15.0 in (38 cm)

  © Chris Wood / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Adults are pale brownish with elegant dark scaling on the underparts. The head is plain brown with a buffy accent on the crest. The back is bluish gray and the wings are brown stippled with buff. Juveniles are similar but have a shorter crest, and the upperwing has a more ornate pattern.

• Behavior

  Forages in small groups (coveys) by walking slowly along the ground, pecking at seeds and insects or nipping vegetation. Males sing from conspicuous perches in spring. Often seen along roadsides in small groups, which usually run away or flush into flight.
• Habitat

  Desert grasslands and sparsely vegetated shrublands with plants like yucca, cholla, mesquite, skunkbush sumac, prickly pear, sandsage, pinyon, and juniper.