Part I

Gallinaceous birds belong to the taxonomic order Galliformes. They are ground dwelling birds, all well constructed for terrestrial life, with strong legs for walking, three forward pointing toes for scratching and digging, and rounded short wings for quick bursts of flight. Their plump bodies and long necks exaggerate the smallness of their heads. Galliformes are represented in North America by members of three families; Cracids (Chachalacas), Phasianidae (pheasants, partridges, grouse, turkeys, guineafowl), and Odontophoriae (New World quail).

A number of Galliformes have been introduced into the Tehachapi Mountains. Although seldom seen, Chukar, Ring-necked Pheasant and Wild Turkey have established small sustaining populations. Released Northern Bobwhite have been seen, but have yet to become established. Old World quail and Guineafowl escapees have also been seen.

There are two remaining native Galliforms found in the Tehachapis, California Quail and Mountain Quail. A third, Blue Grouse, may have been extirpated from our mountain top islands due to logging, loss of habitat and the drying of the environment over the millenniums. There have been no recent confirmed sightings.

(Click photos to
view larger image.)

Common names. California for their locality (though their range extends from the tip of Baja into British Columbia – BC to BC). They are sometimes referred to as Valley Quail. Mountain for this bird’s preferred habitat. Common last names. Quail from the Old French quaille, a cognate with quack, imitative of the call of Old World species.

The six New World quail (California, Gambel’s, Mountain, Scaled, Montezuma, Northern Bobwhite) belong to the family Odontophoridae (not long ago split off from family Phasianidae). This family is named for serration’s on the lower mandible (beak), an adaptation not found in other galliformes. Tarsal spars found on some phasianids are absent on New World quail.

We often comment on bird’s names, well, California Quail (Callipepla californica) - genus name from Greek kallos “a beauty”, peplos “a robe”, thus, beautifully dressed. Specie name californica speaks for itself. Better yet, Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus) - genus name from the Greek oros (mountain) and specie from Latin pictis (painted).

The thought for this two part column occurred during our week long search for Blue Grouse and their habitat in the Tehachapis with Jim Bland, Assistant Professor at Santa Monica College. In three weeks, throughout montane Kern County, from Mt. Pinos to Sunday Peak (just short of the Tulare County line), Jim reported recording more Mountain Quail than in years of field work.

Our two native quail are medium size birds with stout, decurved, sharply pointed bills. California Quail (CAQU) have a topknot made up of 6 tightly fitted feathers, while the plume of a Mountain Quail (MOQU) is made up of two long, thin feathers (all birds have a 4 letter code). CAQU’s are smaller in length, weight, wingspan, have a longer tail, and their underside is scaled. In addition to the MOQU’s majestic plume, the bold white bars on their flanks are most striking. For those who have not seen either of these species, we would refer you to Stokes (pictures) and Sibley (illustrations).

These two birds have remarkably different vocalizations. CAQU’s call has been described in a number of ways – we’ll settle on the “where-are-you” call. Their alarm call is a quiet pik pik pik. In the spring, throughout the high country ridges and canyons, the male MOQU’s unique “Queark” may be heard for long distances. Their soft chatter can be heard in the underbrush as they stay in contact with each other.

California Quail eat seeds, leaves and fresh shoots. They forage by picking and scratching for these items. Nesting on the ground, usually under a shrub, brushpile or by a log, in a shallow grass lined depression, they lay 13 to 14 dull white to buffy variably brown marked eggs. Incubation is usually 21 days. Hatching is synchronized (all chicks hatching the same day), with the precocial chicks leaving the nest within a day. While the parents may tend to the fledges, the young are eating on their own.

MOQU’s diet includes seeds, leaves, bulbs, berries, insects, acorns. Like CAQU’s, MOQU’s display before the female with drooped wings, fluffed feathers and fanned tail. This bird, under dense shrub cover, also nests in a shallow depression. Their nest is lined with grass, pine needles and feathers. Consisting of 9 to 10 creamy white to pale buffy eggs, clutch sizes are a bit smaller than CAQU’s. Incubation is longer, 25 days. As with CAQU’s, hatching is synchronized, with the chicks hitting the ground running.

Other than habitat and looks, it may appear the two species are very much alike. In Part II next month we shall see they are very much their own species. However, before we move on to next month and discuss the adaptations of these two birds and thus how they may co-exist, lets explore the male Mountain Quail’s incubation and biparantal care.

Studies in the field have documented female MOQU’s lay two simultaneous clutches. While she incubates one, the male incubates the other! In two Oregon Mountain Quail habitats, 55 nests were located and monitored. 25 were incubated by males and 30 by females. In no case did the sexes switch nests. Mean clutch size (11) did not vary between “male and female nests.”

Male participation in incubation and brooding does occur in several species of New World quail. However it is clear from this study, and others, that following the females egg laying, male MOQU’s carry out a full role in brood rearing of their own clutch. Mountain Quail are socially monogamous. This simultaneous multiple clutching appears to be a monogamous breeding system and not a result of extra-pair copulation’s.

As in all adaptations, there does seem to be a cost, one being longer incubation periods. Which means additional days subject to predation. However, in an environment of a short nesting season and food availability, with no time for second clutches, there certainly is a payoff.

Part II

California Quail (remember your CAQU’s and MOQU’s?) are a grassland and open foothill woodlands bird. Mountain Quail (MOQU) are a mixed evergreen forest species preferring the steeper slopes, heavier shrub cover and tree canopy of the high country.

Neither bird migrates. However, in winter, MOQU’s under heavy snow conditions, move downhill to some extent. During the dry, hot days of summer CAQU’s may find it necessary to move to the higher country in search of water. Thus at times both species may be at the upper (CAQU) and lower (MOQU) edges of their ranges. However, in the Tehachapis, although narrow, we do find a zone of sympatry all year!

That is, two closely related species occupying the same geographical area without interbreeding. All New World Quail are closely related - even though Mountain Quail evolved some 11 million years ago, while California Quail only recently evolved, having diverged from their closest ancestor the Gambel's Quail (Callipepla gambelii) within the last million years. This brings up the idea of competitive exclusion which proposes that two species with exactly the same ecological requirements cannot coexist indefinitely.

We could ramble through complex conjectures as to how these two related species have developed to occupy separate, though adjacent, differing ecological areas. Rather, let’s explore how different these two birds really are from each other and therefore show how they may sometimes co-exist in a zone (5500 to 6500 feet elevation) between the grassy woodlands and the highest elevations of our mountain islands through all seasons.

As an aside, it is interesting to note how the two birds differ in their reactions to danger. California Quail flush in an explosion of birds startling the hiker, birder or horse and rider. Unless in totally open country, when approached by an aerial predator, more than likely, CAQU’s stay put. On the other hand, Mountain Quail will freeze and observe a ground danger. If attacked, they run first and flush only if being caught is imminent. If the attacker is air borne, say a cooper’s Hawk, MOQU’s will fly (flush) to heavier cover.

Foraging methods differ for these two galliformes. California Quail scratch. Mountain Quail dig. MOQU’s jump to pluck seed bearing flowers, CAQU’s do not. CAQU’s lack beak strength to shell acorns, while, even if green, MOQU’s can break open acorns. Although California Quail flush or fly to trees for cover and to roost, Mountain Quail will climb to also forage in trees.

Mountain Quail have a different pelvic limb structure and larger muscle mass. This permits MOQU’s to dig for bulbs, leap for herbaceous food, and to crack open acorns. All of these items being important items in the MOQU diet. Although the overlap in diets is high, the manner in which these two quail harvest their respective resources minimizes the importance of this overlap.

Generally, closely related birds segregate themselves as to habitat, food resources and food preferences, thus holding interspecific competition to a minimum. In the process of a California study in a sympatric zone of California and Mountain Quail, 122 CAQU food resources and 130 food resources for MOQU’s were identified from crop samples.

Seventy-nine of the food items were common to both species. Six genera of plants provided 55 % of the CAQU’s diet, while 60% of the MOQU’s diet was also derived from six genera (three genera did overlapped with those of the CAQU). Annual forbs were the most important foods eaten by CAQU’s, while perennial plants made up the majority of the MOQU’s diet.

The percentage of food types (flowers, fruits, seeds, green vegetation, animal matter, acorns, bulbs, fungi) varied between the species. CAQU seed consumption was near 60 %, with greens making up about one-third, with other items in small percentages. MOQU preference was clearly for bulbs, acorns, and seeds. In general, some food items are acorns, poison oak seeds, current, elderberry, madia, manzanita, clover, brome grass, filaree, popcorn flowers and woodland star.

A note about the consumption of acorns by California Quail. CAQU’s do consume acorns. However, being unable, due to small bill and weaker muscles, to open acorn shells on their own, this bird gleans crumbs from nuts already cracked open and crushed by vehicles along roads (and perhaps birders with heavy boots along trails – and maybe crumbs from sloppy chewing deer).

This two part piece has only touched the surface of the ecological, evolutionary and life history relationships of these two species. We have tried to explore how these two related birds may, and do, coexist in a narrow band of transition forest lands between 5500 and 6500 feet elevation here in the Tehachapis, and that they do so by a segregation of food resources (to some extent), foraging adaptations (harvesting methods), and differing reproductive patterns.

References for this article included: Lives of American Birds – Kenn Kaufman; The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior – David Allan Sibley; Comparative Ecology of the Mountain and California Quail in the Carmel Valley, California – Ralph J. Gutierrz (Living Bird); Male Incubation and Biparental Care in Mountain Quail – Pope and Crawford (Condor); and personal observations in the high country.

Good birding, gone birding.

© Photos by Beryl Stark

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nick said:

	my mountain quail What do they eat?
	report abuse vote down vote up

Dec 22, 2010
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AVianAdMin said:

	Mountain Quail food According to All About Birds website, Mountain Quail eat Seeds, fruits, flowers, and a few insects. You can read more here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/g...n_Quail/id
	report abuse vote down vote up

Dec 22, 2010
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