"Birds will give you a window, if you allow them. They will show you secrets from another world - fresh vision that, though it is avian, can accompany you home and alter your life. They will do this for you even if you don't know their names - though such knowing is a thoughtful gesture. They will do this for you if you watch them." ~ Lyanda Lynn Haupt, Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Callipepla californica: California Quail
The California Quail is pretty common around these parts, especially in the spring and early summer. Occasionally I'll see these guys on a wire or a roof top, but mostly not. Usually, they're running on the ground. (On yesterday's morning walk there was a group of them foraging in a yard around the corner.)
Their topknots, I just learned, are formed from six interlocking feathers. Who knew?