Bird Album
Scaled Quail
Callipepla squamata (Vigors, 1830)
184 gWeight
The scaled quail (Callipepla squamata), also commonly called blue quail or cottontop, is a species of the New World quail family.
Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Mexico
Where and when it's recorded
Scaled Quail has been recorded at 22 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Willcox – Lake Cochise and Twin Lakes Golf CourseUnited States6,054 records
- Santa Margarita Ranch (LTC 079)United States445 records
- Sierra Vista EOPUnited States364 records
More places
- Whitewater Draw Wildlife AreaUnited States353 records
- Falcon State Park—SE portion (Starr Co.)United States287 records
- PortalUnited States240 records
- Davis Mountains SPUnited States153 records
- Bosque del Apache NWRUnited States145 records
- Salineño Wildlife PreserveUnited States93 records
- Ash Canyon Bird SanctuaryUnited States34 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
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.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Scaled Quail?
The Scaled Quail weighs around 184 g.
Where does the Scaled Quail live?
Its breeding range: North America, Middle America: southwestern USA and north-central Mexico. It is most often recorded in United States and Mexico.
When is the best time to see the Scaled Quail?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Scaled Quail endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Scaled Quail as Least Concern.
What does the Scaled Quail eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Scaled Quail in?
It belongs to the family New World Quail (Odontophoridae), order Galliformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 184 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 116 mm
- Tail
- 79 mm
- Bill
- 14 mm
- Tarsus
- 32 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America, Middle America: southwestern USA and north-central Mexico
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- New World Quail Odontophoridae
- Genus
- Callipepla
Other birds in the genus Callipepla
Elegant QuailCallipepla douglasii
California QuailCallipepla californica
Gambel's QuailCallipepla gambelii
Stone PartridgePtilopachus petrosus
Nahan's PartridgePtilopachus nahani
Buffy-crowned Wood PartridgeDendrortyx leucophrys
Long-tailed Wood PartridgeDendrortyx macroura
Bearded Wood PartridgeDendrortyx barbatus
Mountain QuailOreortyx pictus
Banded QuailPhilortyx fasciatus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Ad Konings. ↗
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