Gambel's Quail Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesGambel's Quail
Male
Plump game bird with comma-shaped, forward-facing crest. Useful markings include creamy buff belly with black central patch, chestnut sides, and bright cinnamon-brown crown.
© Jason Vassallo / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, February 15, 2020Female
Plump, short-legged game bird with short, forward-facing crest. Buffy belly and chestnut sides. Females are fairly plain gray on the head and neck, and lack the male's black belly patch.
© Eric Gofreed / Macaulay LibraryArizona, December 28, 2016Adult male
Adult male has gray upperparts, a rufous crown, a black face and throat, and a black topknot sticking up from the front of the head.
© Dan O'Brien / Macaulay LibraryArizona, May 30, 2023Male
Combination of cinnamon crown, buffy belly with black central patch, and chestnut sides make this species distinctive.
© Mary McSparen / Macaulay LibraryArizona, January 26, 2020Female
Plump game bird with gray-brown head and neck, chestnut sides, and buffy belly. Usually forages on the ground, but sometimes moves into low shrubs or cacti.
© Bryan Calk / Macaulay LibraryNew Mexico, November 22, 2019Male
Walks along the ground, jutting its head forward, and picking at seeds and plant material on the ground. This video has no audio.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryMissouri, October 01, 1996Male and female
A classic bird of the deserts of southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico. Usually forages on the ground, but sometimes moves into low shrubs or cacti.
© Scott Olmstead / Macaulay LibraryArizona, May 30, 2016Male and juvenile
In summer, flocks or coveys usually consist of a male and female plus up to 16 offspring. Juveniles have buffy-brown heads and mottled brown and black bodies.
© Arlene Ripley / Macaulay LibraryArizona, June 26, 2016Male and female
Gambel's Quails walk or run along the ground in groups called coveys that can include a dozen or more birds.
© Chris Rurik / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 03, 2016Similar SpeciesCalifornia Quail
Male
California Quail occur mainly along the West Coast of North America, to the west of Gambel's range. Male California Quail have black-and-white scaling on the belly, unlike Gambel's buffy belly. They also have fine black-and-white markings on the back of the neck.
© Brad Imhoff / Macaulay LibraryUtah, June 30, 2016Similar SpeciesCalifornia Quail
Female
Female California Quail have prominent scaling on the belly and lack the buffy belly of Gambel's Quail.
© Ariel Cabrera Foix / Macaulay LibraryRegión Metropolitana de Santiago, April 11, 2017Similar SpeciesScaled Quail
Adult
Scaled Quail have a peaked head with a short, rear-pointing crest, unlike Gambel's Quail's forward-curving black head plume. Scaled Quail are sandy brown overall with a scaled effect on the neck, breast, and belly.
© Jeffrey Moore / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 15, 2014Similar SpeciesMountain Quail
Adult
Mountain Quail normally occur to the west of and at higher elevations than Gambel's Quail. They have a long, straight head plume instead of Gambel's shorter, forward-curving plume; and they have thick vertical white stripes on the side instead of narrower horizontal stripes.
© Matt Davis / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, July 15, 2015Compare with Similar Species
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Species in This Family
New World Quail(Order: Galliformes, Family: Odontophoridae)
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