Among the most elusive and intriguing birds we have on Tejon
Ranch is the mountain quail (Oreortyx
pictus). This denizen of western mountains is well-known for its secretive
nature and beautiful plumage. The largest quail in the United States, these
birds are easily identified by the feathers sticking straight up from their
head. These factors combine to make mountain quail a common “nemesis bird”
among birders- a bird that despite how much effort you put into seeing one, it still
eludes you. I myself had never seen mountain quail until I started hiking
around Tejon Ranch. Soon afterwards, I came to learn that this species can be a
somewhat reliable feeder bird at certain times of the year in Pine Mountain
Club, where I live. I still get a little giddy every time I encounter one and
relish springtime for the chorus of “kwe-aarp” calls coming from the hillsides.
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| Mountain quail with chicks in Pine Mountain Club. Photo courtesy of Lisa Butler |
So,
besides being pretty and sometimes difficult to see, what else is interesting
about mountain quail? A quick trip to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Birds of
North America site reveals that despite their large range, relatively little is
known about this magnificent creature. If you are lucky, it is possible to see
mountain quail from as far south as Baja California all the way up to
Washington and east to Idaho and Nevada. Due to this wide distribution,
microevolution has occurred in the species and generally five subspecies are
recognized (Gutierrez and Delehanty 1999). Here in our neck of the woods, we
are most likely to see Oreortyx pictus
eremophilus, which is characterized by its overall lighter coloring and
slate gray on the upper back and neck (Gutierrez and Delehanty 1999).
Throughout
its range, mountain quail is notorious for inhabiting rugged country. These
animals can thrive in a variety of habitats ranging from coniferous forest to
dense chaparral. In all habitats, they prefer to be close to dense cover and
often haunt steep hillsides. It is here that they seek out their somewhat
unique diet: plants. Unlike most other new world quail, mountain quail are
primarily vegetarian, choosing to dine on fruit, seeds, and green vegetation.
Juveniles and females consume animal protein such as insects more often, but it
still only constitutes 20% or less of their overall diet (Gutierrez and Delehanty
1999).
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| Mountain quail in Pine Mountain Club. Photo courtesy of Lisa Butler |
This
unusual diet, which relies heavily on foods that are seasonally available may
be one reason why mountain quail are extremely migratory. This isn’t the kind
of migration that takes them from continent to continent, or even from state to
state. Instead, mountain quail tend to seasonally migrate up or downslope on a
particular mountain. There is some evidence of these birds travelling as far as
25km over a period of weeks to months (Gutierrez and Delehanty 1999).
So, if
you’re hiking around the mountains of west and you encounter this strange,
beautiful bird, take note. It may even be a sighting worth reporting to ebird,
where researchers can access your data to learn more about this and other
elusive species.
For more information about mountain quail, check out these
websites:
Birds of North America Online: Only the introduction is
available to nonmembers, but there’s still some great info to be found on this
site. http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/457/articles/introduction
Cornell All About Birds: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/mountain_quail/id
eBird: Search the ebird database for all recorded
occurrences of mountain quail and other species in your area. http://ebird.org/ebird/map/
xeno-canto: Hear field recordings of mountain quail and
other species. http://xeno-canto.org/browse.php?query=mountain%20quail
REFERENCES:
Gutiérrez, R. J. and David J. Delehanty. 1999. Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus), The Birds of
North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology;
Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/457doi:10.2173/bna.457
-Scot
