Mountain Quail

Oreortyx pictus eremophilus or Oreortyx pictus russelli

There are three species of quail that can be found in California, the California Quail Callipepla californica, the Gambel’s Quail Callipepla gambelii, and the Mountain Quail Oreortyx pictus. All three have a range that consist of our glorious mountain ranges however the distinguishing characteristic is the black plume emerging from their crown. With the California and Gambel’s quail it is short and curves forward, where as the mountain quail have long plume that points straight up.

There are five recognized sub species of mountain quail of which 4 have ranges in California. Of those four, there are two possibilities for this specimen of quail, O. p. eremophilus or O. p. russelli. O. eremophilus has a range that stretches from the southern Sierra Nevada as far south as northern Baja California and as far east as southwestern Nevada. Where as O. russelli seems to be only found in the Little San Bernardino Mountains which is actually east of Palm Springs, and north of Salton Sea, technically not to far from here in the grand scheme of things.

Although it can not be seen in the pictures my cameras have captured, on my many drives and hikes to this area I have seen them and easily noticed the distinct long straight plume as they quickly scurry away from me.

Number of confirmed specimens : 8+
Number of pictures : 2

References

Peterson, Roger T. Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North America. 4th ed., Houghton Mifflin Company, 2010, pp. 62-63

Mountain quail Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 March 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_quail. Accessed 26, April 2026