The California quail can be found from southern Oregon to southern California and east into Nevada. The California quail eats seeds, plant parts like buds and sometimes insects. Both parents will care for the chicks. The chicks leave the nest shortly after birth. They make their first attempts at flight when they are about 10 days old. They will stay on the ground for about a month and then will roost in trees with the rest of the flock.

- The topknot looks like a single feather, but it is actually a cluster of six overlapping plumes.

- The California Quail digests vegetation with the help of protozoans in its intestine. Chicks acquire the protozoans by pecking at the feces of adults.

The California Quail is one the most skittish bird I have ever seen. The slightest motion will make them run for cover in dense bushes and to photograph them is very difficult and best done from a hide. This cooperative male was a bit different and let me get as close as 15 feet as long as I did not move. This is extremely unusual for these birds.