Birds › Desert scrub › Gambel's Quail

Gambel's Quail

Callipepla gambelii

Lives in groups called coveys. Chicks leave the nest a few hours after hatching and follow their parents.

Where to see it for real: Millet scattered on the ground near shrubby cover, and a water dish at ground level.

Spot it in the game

Lives in the Desert scrub habitat (Sonoran Desert, Arizona and Mexico).

Gambel's Quail facts

Family

New World quail

Length

9.8 in (25 cm)

Wingspan

14 in (35 cm)

Weight

6 oz (170 g)

Diet

Seeds, leaves, cactus fruit and some insects.

Range

Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

Nest

A shallow scrape on the ground under a shrub, lined with grass and leaves.

Song

A loud "chi-CA-go-go" call, plus grunts and clucks within the covey.

Active

at dawn, by day and at dusk

Status

Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: widespread and not at risk.

What the Gambel's Quail sounds like

How to attract the Gambel's Quail

Feeder foods, favorite first: millet. Feeders that hold them: tube feeder and platform feeder. Keep a bird bath full, too.

In the game: fill a feeder with millet and keep the bird bath full. It is a common visitor.

More: bird songs and calls, what to feed birds.

More birds of the desert scrub

Greater RoadrunnerDesert scrubCactus WrenDesert scrubGila WoodpeckerDesert scrubCurve-billed ThrasherDesert scrubVerdinDesert scrubPhainopeplaDesert scrub