Scaled Quail
Callipepla squamata
- Class
- Bird
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 2,899
- Most observed in
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
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 species is an early offshoot of the genus Callipepla, diverging in the Pliocene. 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.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Scaled quail”.