CALIFORNIA QUAIL (Callipepla californica)

• The California Quail is a highly sociable bird that often gathers in small flocks known as “coveys”.
• One of their daily communal activities is a dust bath. A group of quail will select an area where the ground has been newly turned or is soft, and using their underbellies, will burrow downward into the soil some one to two inches. They then wriggle about in the indentations they have created, flapping their wings and ruffling their feathers, causing dust to rise in the air.
• They seem to prefer sunny places in which to create these dust baths.
• An ornithologist is able to detect the presence of quail in an area by spotting the circular indentations left behind in the soft dirt, some 7–15 cm (3-6 inches) in diameter.