New Mexico
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Gambel's Quail
San Antonio, NM - Bosque del Apache NWR - The Gambel's Quail (Callipepla Gambelii) is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It inhabits the desert regions of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and Sonora; also New Mexico-border Chihuahua and the Colorado River region of Baja California. These birds are easily recognized by their top knots and scaly plumage on their undersides. Gambel's Quail have bluish-gray plumage on much of their bodies, and males have copper feathers on the top of their heads, black faces, and white stripes above their eyes. The bird's average length is 11 in (28 cm) with a wingspan of 14–16 in (36–41 cm). These birds have relatively short, rounded wings and long, featherless legs. Its diet consists primarily of plant matter and seeds. Gambel's Quail are often confused with California Quail due to similar plumage. They can usually be distinguished by range, but when this does not suffice, California quail have a more scaly appearance and the black patch on the lower breast of the male Gambel's Quail is absent in the California Quail. [Wiki]
Lgood
on February 22, 2019I'm never seen one of the Gambel's except in photos. Do people eat them? We have the Bob White quails here. They are hunted for food, but over the years the fire ants and other predators have depleted their numbers tremendously. When I was a kid, we had so many Bob White's that they were often dinner. Great shot.