The California Quail is the state bird of California. It was adopted as the state bird in 1931. Like all quails it is short and chubby, with a feather sticking up out of their head. The male has brown wings and a grey breast; the female has grey wings and a speckled breast.

Quails are flock birds and eat insects and seeds. They tend to stay on the ground although they will fly up if startled.

Quails are game birds and the California Quail was once a big industry for professional hunters. The meat was much sought after by shops. They are still very popular with hunters, although with fewer hunters in current times the population has grown to be very large.


California Quail Painting by Joe Garcia

State Bird Listing