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Mountain quail

Scientific name: Oreortyx pictus

Field notes

Appearance

Males are slate-blue above with a distinctive long, straight head plume, bold white eyebrow stripe, and scaled underparts; females are duller brown-gray with a shorter plume. Both sexes show striking scaled patterns on the breast and belly.

Size and weight

Males typically 24–28 cm and 100–140 g; females slightly smaller at 23–26 cm and 90–130 g.

Habitat

Mountain quail inhabit steep, brushy mountain slopes and canyons with mixed chaparral, oak woodlands, and grasslands, typically between 1,000–10,000 feet elevation. They prefer areas with dense cover for nesting and escape, combined with open ground for foraging.

Distribution

Found in the Pacific coast ranges from northern California through Oregon and Washington into British Columbia, with scattered populations in the Sierra Nevada; prefer higher, steeper terrain than California quail.

Diet

Mountain quail feed primarily on seeds from grasses, forbs, and shrubs; insects (especially grasshoppers and beetles) are taken seasonally and by chicks.

Behaviour

Active during early morning and late afternoon, moving on foot through brush and open slopes in coveys of 4–15 birds; they flee by running upslope rather than flushing, and roost in trees or dense cover at night.

Hunting tips

Look for narrow trails through brush, small dust baths, and scattered droppings along canyon bottoms and slope edges. Approach from below moving upslope slowly and quietly, using terrain to stay concealed; birds will run ahead and uphill, making elevation gain essential. Early morning and late afternoon offer best movement; glassing open slopes at dawn from ridges can reveal foraging birds before they retreat into thick cover.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 1 country in Huntify.

Names in other languages

Current language: en

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.