#Callipepla californica

[snototter]

A male California quail (Callipepla californica) in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California

by Robyn Waayers

[kiwi-tmntfan]

I'm camping right now but uh I drew these I guess

[lonelywretchjervistetch]

opinion on the california quail as a state bird?

Ooh, thank you for the question! Love the questions! As for the California Quail (Callipepla californica): love it. Genuinely a great state bird. It's iconic in appearance, has a breeding range mostly contained within California, and genuinely very charming. It was also selected by the Audubon Society of California, which...yeah! That's great! I'm gonna be honest, it's a hard one to argue against as state bird of California.

With...one EXTREMELY major exception, that is.

Yeaaaaaaaaaah. Yeaaaaah. Yeah.

I dunno, I'll let these two battle it out in polls (with a few other birds I can think of that could take the title), but the California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is also a real contender for the title. It's also an extremely iconic bird in appearance, it does currently breed in the state (and only in the state, for that matter), it's recognizable to most people, and maybe most importantly, it's a bird of real conservation concern. It has an incredibly dramatic story, making it a very charismatic species that can bring people into the world of birds very easily, ESPECially if you're from San Diego (which I, admittedly, am originally).

However, does a charismatic species deserve the title of state bird more? Does it deserve more attention? After all, charismatic species are genuinely a major problem in terms of conservation because they take attention away from the species that aren't as charismatic. And wait, California Quails are charismatic, in their own adorable way. But they're also EXCEEDINGLY common in the state, and elsewhere, so they don't need the conservation effort...right? But the habitats they often live and breed in also deserve to be preserved, so...shit. What's the right choice here?

AND WHAT ABOUT THE YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE (Pica nuttalli)

Yeah...it's a solid question. Love the quail, I really do, but is it the best candidate here? Not sure. I have a while to think about that, so I'll formulate my opinion on this by then.

[na-bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: California Quail

Photo: Mick Thompson

"This sharply-marked bird with the curving topknot is common along the California coast and in a few other areas of the west. It has adapted rather well to the increasing human population, and is often found around well-wooded suburbs and even large city parks. California Quail live in coveys at most seasons, and are often seen strutting across clearings, nodding their heads at each step. If disturbed, they may burst into fast low flight on whirring wings."

- Audubon Field Guide

[thatnostalgiccarp]

Critter fact #6:

The California Quail (Callipepla californica) is the national bird of Molossia, and the state bird of California. The scale-like pattern on its underparts distinguishes it from the similar Gambel's Quail (C. gambelii), and the pattern being restricted to the underparts distinguishes it from the Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata).

[herpsandbirds]

California Quail (Callipepla californica), male, family Odontophoridae, order Galliformes, CA, USA

photograph by Butch Fermil 

[spinus-pinus]

California Quail Callipepla californica

8/16/2022 Pinnacles National Park, California

[mutant-distraction]

California Quail (Callipepla californica)

[hawkpartys]

California Quail (Callipepla californica)

[alonglistofbirds]

[1997/11056] California quail - Callipepla californica

Order: Galliformes Family: Odontophoridae (new world quail)

Photo credit: Drew Beamer via Macaulay Library

[anam2s]

California quail (callipepla californica) stamp!

[wildmountainlight]

california quail (callipepla californica) - may 2024

[fairymarymag]

California Quail

Callipepla californica

[bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: California Quail

^Image credit: Jörg Hempel

California Quail (Callipepla californica)

As its name suggests, the California Quail is the state bird of California, a title which was selected in 1931. They are highly sociable birds, gathering in small flocks known as 'coveys'. They commonly engage in communal dust bathing, wriggling and flapping about in small indentations in soft ground that they create with their bellies.

[several-types-of-animals]

California Quail (Callipepla californica

[aonoexpat]

Getting my bearings

07-02-2023

Okay please do not expect me to keep up this rate of posting on here because I do not intend to but I just have SO MUCH NEW STUFF TO SHARE RIGHT NOW

It feels like I've been here for two whole weeks already, with how much I've been up to. I've seen the local shopping district (blown away by the caliber of the thrift shops here, I am living for it), gotten in a (minor, no worries) car accident, gone to that board game night (played Viticulture, cool but not entirely my thing) and most of the administrative process has been taken care of by now, which means:

a local phone number: much needed to get around if you want future employers to be able to reach you. I have a dual SIM phone but I've taken my Dutch SIM out anyway, because the rates are staggeringly high: 254 cents per minute of outgoing or incoming calls, 51 cents per text message and 500 cents per MB(!) of data. No thank you. I do still want to keep my Dutch number so I've just downgraded my plan to the bare minimum to save some costs.

a local bank account: it took some back-and-forth, but now I'm officially banking with Kiwibank :) I chose them for their omnipresence, and because I'd read online that they're one of the more sustainable and inclusive options out here.

a local tax ID: is on the way, this is necessary for NZ and NL to communicate about my income and any taxes that apply.

an actual job: working on it, printing CVs tomorrow but I also managed to get my hands on a beautiful guitar so busking is now officially on the table!

The time I wasn't working on these things, I spent out and about, enjoying the views and the culture shock. Yesterday's highlight was Zealandia: a 255 ha wildlife sanctuary that sits right on the fold line where two tectonic plates meet. It's home to many a species of birds, reptiles and plants, some of them endangered, and offers some killer views:

Here's a little selection of who I met there:

The Pied Shag / Kāruhiruhi / Phalacrocorax varius varius

Not to be confused with a regular ol' penguin. Seemed very chill

The Takahē / Porphyrio hochstetteri

Very sleepy, and the most reminiscent of its undoubtedly dinosaur ancestors. Also clearly a menace to keep inside its designated area:

The California quail / Tikaokao / Callipepla californica

Standing guard on the fence as its whānau rummage about in the garden below 💚

Tuatara / Sphenodon punctatus

The Kākā / Nestor meridionalis septentrionalis​

According to the volunteer park guide who was kind enough to give us a talk about them on her time off, the park started out with 14 of these back in 2002. At the time the Kākā hadn't been living in the Wellington area for over 100 years. Since then, over 1000 new Kākā chicks have been born in the sanctuary due to their tremendous efforts to protect these intelligent birds. The feeders they put out for them require them to step on a little pedal to lift the lid and access the food. They've done experiments with them where they put a little wooden block under the pedal to block it, and the young ones quickly learned to remove it to regain access. They've also suspended food from pieces of string hanging from the branches to see what they would do, since Kākā are unable to hover. Even this they managed to solve by sitting on the branch and pulling up the string until they could reach the food. They look like they're having great fun, hanging upside down from branches and being real acrobats in the trees as well as the air 😍

I'm definitely visiting this place again when I have the chance, because there's a lot more of the park to explore!

My current plan is to stay here in Te Whanganui-a-tara until the beginning of April. Then I can catch a ride up to Hobbiton and then Tāmaki-makau-rau (aka Auckland), after which I'll travel back down, in order to visit the South Island in May, most likely! So for now my focus will be on saving up some money and enjoying the wonderful weather while it lasts 🌞