Campus wildlife presents the ground-dwelling Gambel's quail
By Victoria Sutton, October 2009
Special to Puma Press
Paradise Valley Community College is having a spectacular fall session. Students are everywhere, and the campus is humming with learning and activities. While it’s busy for students, faculty and staff, it’s also busy for campus wildlife. The college has an abundance of wildlife, and because these animals are constantly around people and raise generations on campus, we are fortunate to be able to get fairly close to them.
When it comes to wildlife diversity and species richness on campus, birds literally and figuratively soar, and a favorite campus bird is the ground-dwelling Gambel’s quail or “Callipepla gambelii.” A rough translation of its scientific name is “beautiful robe,” and it suits this bird well. The Gambel’s quail was named after William Gamble, a 19th century naturalist and avid explorer of the Southwest. There are three species of quail in Arizona, but the Gambel’s is the most common and has the largest range, encompassing the Sonoran and Mohave deserts north to the boundary of juniper habitat, which is a great portion of the state.
Gambel’s are the smallest of Arizona’s quail species, and they are built for the desert. They are oval shaped birds with short, round wings and long bare legs, which enable them to run very quickly through the thorny, dry vegetation they encounter. They exist mainly on the ground, but can fly and roost at night in low tree branches. They also use flight to avoid sudden danger. As adults, their diet consists of mostly vegetation, and they will eat grasses, forbs, berries, cactus fruit, shrubbery and some insects. When young, they eat more insects, and their diet gradually becomes more herbivorous. They can utilize moisture from their food as a complete water source when necessary, which is another specialized adaptation for living in the desert.
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Gambel's quail species are built for the desert as well as busy campus life at PVCC. |
Quail are dimorphic, meaning that the sexes vary in appearance. The males and females both have grayish bodies with tan underneath and black striping on their sides. They also both have a signature topknot feather plume on their heads. The females remain gray and tan over their bodies, but the males are striking. They have a black face and neck surrounded by a white outline, a red to copper colored cap and shoulder coverings, as well as a more pronounced topknot. They are also slightly larger than the females. They are social most of the year, gathering in groups of up to 20 called coveys using distinctive calls.
Quail are monogamous and pair up each spring and early summer for mating and nesting. While they are monogamous for the season, they will have different mates throughout their lives. They can become aggressive toward other pairs as they prepare to nest. The female will choose a nest location and can lay around a dozen eggs. Nests are constructed on the ground using grasses, feathers and other pieces of vegetation. The quail usually construct nests under shrubs or where they feel protected, and the eggs incubate for just over 20 days. According to Arizona Game and Fish, nesting success is related to rainfall received the prior year. Both quail parents participate in the rearing of the young; however, the female does most of the incubation.
The young quail are very unlike many baby birds. They all hatch together, and they are precocial, meaning they can eat on their own, run and keep up with their parents within hours of birth. While baby quail can feed themselves and move immediately after hatching, they are not completely independent of their parents. They stay with the parents early in life to learn how and where to find food, how to avoid predators and for thermal regulation. They still need the warmth from their parents, and they need time to develop flight feathers. Until they are completely independent, they dutifully follow their parents in a single line. When they are old enough to stay warm, find their own food and try to keep out of harm’s way, they join mixed age groups of up to 40 birds. Their natural lifespan is fairly short, and they will live about two years.
Quail predators are many and include hawks, ravens, owls, bobcats, coyotes and domestic dogs and cats. People are also responsible for reducing quail numbers, particularly on the roadways. Quail are also considered a game bird (a popular one) in Arizona and can be hunted with a permit each fall.
While quail are independent birds, there are many concerns each summer with young that get left behind, especially when they are only a day or two old. They can call their parents very loudly, and often that will bring the family back. However, if people or other threats are too close to the baby, the family will not return, and this is often when people intervene. While the babies are fairly independent when with their parents, they are extremely fragile in our environment and care must be taken if you find a baby quail. They have very narrow temperature ranges at which they can survive and bringing a baby quail into our homes or air conditioned cars can become fatal very quickly. They also have to eat very regularly, and the general public is not capable of feeding them properly. The only option for an abandoned baby quail that cannot be reunited with its family is a transfer to a wildlife rehabilitation center or expert.
Wildlife usually has to be enjoyed from a distance, but at PVCC, we can enjoy it simply walking on campus. While we have the opportunity to enjoy Gambel’s quail close-up, it is important to always use common sense and avoid encounters that could leave an animal in distress. If you see them, give them a wide berth and watch for them when in your vehicle. If you see one in the road and have to stop, wait to make sure it’s not being followed by more—they are rarely alone. While they can be numerous, as native wildlife, they are protected, and it is unlawful to harm or harass quail outside of hunting parameters.
If you would like to learn more about dessert wildlife and laws that protect it, visit Arizona Game and Fish at www.azgfd.com. You can also learn to identify our wildlife through field guides (Peterson’s are highly recommended), which can be purchased at most bookstores. To report a wildlife concern on campus, please contact College Safety. |
