California State Bird
What Is The California State Bird?
Called by many names, the California state bird is a beautiful little quail. Smaller in size than a common pigeon, the California quail is a ground dwelling and ground breeding bird. He can fly, but is rarely called to do so and never chooses to of his own accord. The California state bird is also called by the names topknot quail, The California partridge, crested quail, and valley quail. During the brooding season, just after the hatching of their young, the mating pairs and their chicks will band together with other families, forming a large covey for safety in numbers. Those who choose against this communal lifestyle risk a far more dangerous existence than those within the covey. Mating pairs will care for their young together, and will even offer parental supervision and assistance to those youngsters who do not belong to them.
The California state bird is a wonderfully perky, hardy, and beautiful ground dweller, id not a little bit shy and jumpy. The male of the California quail species adorns far more dramatic markings than does the female, which is typical for most types of birds. The reasons for this are rather obvious, as the female most often needs to blend into her surroundings while tending her developing eggs. She mustn’t be made to get and run away from the nest, as a consistent and exact temperature needs to be maintained during incubation. The more camouflaged she is, the better her chances of raising a successful and healthy brood. For such a tiny fowl, the California state bird gives life to a vast number of chicks, sometimes upwards of 28 per brood.
The California state bird is striking, the male of the species being more boldly defined than the female. His head is black, with a large plume cresting from the top. He has two white tear stripes in the eye area, and a thick white chin, or bib, band which runs from the side of his mouth all the way underneath and back up to the other side. The more mature males have a deep steel gray, almost blue, chest which is met at the halfway point by delicately decorated tan colored feathers tipped in black. His patterning is intricate, his eyes large and curious.
The California state bird was adopted in 1931, and boasts strong population numbers throughout his indigenes habitat. Spanning throughout the southwest territories of the United States, this quail is quiet and considerably well mannered. He does no damage and is not considered as a pest to anyone lucky enough to share their part of the world with him. His most common misfortune, being protected from the hunt, are collisions with motor vehicles.