SIERRA NEVADA BIRDS – FEATHERS IN THE RANGE OF LIGHT Blog Post #14
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
Mountain Quail – Oreortyx pictus
Only species in the Genus Oreortyx. (L. Ortyx “quail”, Pingo pictus “painted”)
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
The Mountain Quail is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family, and the only species in its genus. Boldly patterned quail with tones of rich chestnut and blue-gray accentuated by white highlights. Look especially for the long, straight black plume atop the head and thick white bars on the sides, which help separate this species from California Quail. Female is slightly drabber than male.
DISTRIBUTION & OCCURRENCE IN THE SIERRA NEVADA
The Mountain Quail is a fairly common yearround resident of the Sierra Nevada in the lower and upper montane biotic zones. It inhabits mountainous chaparral west of the Rocky Mountains, from British Columbia in Canada to Baja Peninsula, Mexico. It can be found up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft) above sea level. It is a non-migratory species; however some populations may be altitudinal migrants in some mountain ranges.
The mountain quail feeds on seeds, fruits, insects and green vegetation. It prefers habitats with dense shrubs, such as manzanita, ceanothus and chaparral. It nests on the ground, usually under a shrub or log. The female lays 9 to 10 eggs, which are incubated by both parents for about 24 days.
The chicks are precocial and leave the nest soon after hatching. They follow their parents and learn to find food and avoid predators. The mountain quail has some interesting behaviors, such as carrying its chicks in its mouth to escape danger, and forming large coveys of up to 20 birds in winter.
CONSERVATION STATUS – IUCN Red List Category
The Mountain Quail is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN.
Redlist Classification Justification: This species has an extremely large range, the population trend appears to be declining slightly (decline not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion), and the population size is very large. For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern. (DataZone MOQU Link)
PLAYING WITH PHOTOSHOP – Dry Brush Filter
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Reflections of the Natural World 
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