Common throughout California, the California Quail (Callipepla californica) happens to be the official state bird. The species also occurs also in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and Baja. Historically, the Pomo Indians used to make basket-style funnel traps to trap them and use the coma-shaped topknots to adorn some of their exquisitely woven baskets.
Research took place at the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center during the 1970s by A. Starker Leopold (UC Berkeley), Michael Erwin (UC Berkeley), John Oh (UC-HREC), and Bruce Browning (Calif. Dept. of Fish & Game) based upon the theory that there was a direct connection between forb growth and the breeding success of quail ...and it had been long presumed that the control was nutritional. Their research showed that phytoestrogens, mainly formononetin and genistein, are produced in the leaves of certain stunted annual plants in a dry year and that these compounds apparently inhibit reproduction in quail. In wet years the phytoestrogenic substances are largely absent, and the quail breed prolifically.
Here you see typical covey of California Quail as occurs during the fall and winter periods.
