Mountain Quail

The Mountain Quail is a chunky, ground-dwelling gamebird of the mountains and foothills along the Pacific coast of North America, from Washington south into Baja California. It is the largest of the New World quail and is best known for the slim, perfectly straight head plume (actually two feathers held together) that both sexes carry. Its plumage is a mix of slate-gray, olive, and warm chestnut, giving it a richly patterned look compared to the plainer quail species it shares range with.

• Head plume: a single, thin, straight black plume projecting nearly vertically from the crown—unlike the forward-curving topknot of California or Gambel's Quail.
• Breast and back: slate-gray contour feathers with a smooth, unmarked look.
• Flanks: bold chestnut-and-white barred feathers, among the most strikingly patterned flank plumage of any North American quail.
• Throat: chestnut patch outlined with black and white edging.
• Flight feathers: short, rounded wings typical of a bird that prefers running to flying, with plain brown-gray primaries.

Male and female Mountain Quail look very similar, an unusual trait among quail, though the male's plume is typically slightly longer and straighter. Juveniles are duller and more mottled, lacking the crisp chestnut flank barring and full-length plume until after their first molt. Adults undergo a complete post-breeding molt in late summer, and the ornamental plume is replaced along with the rest of the plumage.

This species favors dense, brushy cover—manzanita, ceanothus, and chaparral slopes—often at higher elevations than other quail, moving to lower slopes in winter. It is a year-round resident across most of its range, undertaking only local elevational movements rather than long-distance migration. Its range hugs mountain ranges near the Pacific coast and does not extend far inland.

Mountain Quail are shy and secretive, preferring to walk or run into thick cover rather than flush, and are more often heard than seen. Diet is varied, including seeds, leaves, bulbs, and invertebrates gleaned from the ground and low vegetation. Nests are shallow scrapes on the ground, well hidden under shrubs, holding a clutch of buffy eggs. The species' call is a loud, far-carrying single- or double-noted whistle used to keep contact within coveys in dense brush.