SIERRA NEVADA BIRDS – FEATHERS IN THE RANGE OF LIGHT Blog Post #9
California’s “Range of Light” is home to a diverse array of both colorful and cryptic birds (the feathers). It is my intent to use my passion for birds and photography to paint a story about 120 of the most common or most sought-after Sierra Nevada (Range of Light) birds by most nature enthusiasts.
Sierra Nevada Birds – Feathers in the Range of Light is a Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
California Quail – Callipepla californica
Name Roots: (Gr. Kallos, “a beauty”; peplos, “a robe” – of California)
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
The California Quail (Callipepla californica), also known as the California valley quail or Valley quail, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. These birds have a curving crest or plume, made of six feathers, that droops forward: black in males and brown in females; the flanks are brown with white streaks. Males have a dark brown cap and a black face with a brown back, a grey-blue chest and a light brown belly.
Females and immature birds are mainly grey-brown with a light-colored belly.
DISTRIBUTION & OCCURRENCE IN THE SIERRA NEVADA
The California Quail (Callipepla californica) is a common yearround resident of the Sierra Nevada in the Foothill Woodlands and Lower Montane biotic zones.
CONSERVATION STATUS – IUCN Red List Category
The California Quail is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN.
Redlist Classification Justification: The California Quail has an extremely large range, its population is extremely large and appears to be increasing.
PLAYING WITH PHOTOSHOP – Poster Edges Filter
Previous Sierra Nevada Birds Posts below:
Reflections of the Natural World 