California State Bird
California Quail

Official California State Bird: California Quail
Family: Mimidae, Mockingbirds, Thrashers
Scientific name: Callipepla californica
Length: 10" (25 cm)
Diet: Seeds, foliage, acorns, fruit; insects, spiders, snails, etc., account for <5% of diet.
Voice: Listen to California Quail Sounds (recorded by Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Male song a repeated, nasal put way doo similar to Gambel's, but final note longer and descending, individually variable. Other calls include relaxed waaaaw or waay; rapid spitting spwik wik wiw; shar, metallic alarm pit-pit; soft clucking ut, ut...
Habitat: Common in open woodlands, brushy foothills, stream valleys, suburbs, usually near permanent water source; broken chaparral, woodland edges, coastal scrub, parks, estates, farms.
Displays: Courtship: male bows, fluffs feathers, droops wings and, with tail spread, may rush toward female. Males often fight.
Number of broods: 1, 2 in exceptionally favorable years.
Nest: Usually concealed in grass or shrubs or next to log or rock, occasionally 10' above ground in bush or tree; shallow covered depression lined with dead leaves, grass.
Eggs: Averages 12-16 white to creamy eggs, marked with dull browns. 1.2" (31 mm).
Incubation period: 18-23 days
Fledge: 10 days after hatching
Longevity Record: 6 Years and 11 months (according to USGS Bird Banding Lab)

The California Quail, also known as the valley quail, became the official California State Bird in 1931. A widely distributed and prized game bird, it is known for its hardiness and adaptability. Plump, gray-colored and smaller than a pigeon, the California Quail sports a downward curving black plume on top of its head and black bib with white stripe under the beak. Flocks number from a few to 60 or more in the fall and winter months, but in the spring break into pairs.

Calinfornia State Bird Books