About Callipepla douglasii (Vigors, 1829)
Description: The elegant quail (Callipepla douglasii) grows to a length of about 25 cm (10 in). The male has a distinctive long, straight, golden-buff crest; the female's crest is grey. Other than this crest difference, the sexes are similar in appearance. Both sexes are mainly grey with spotting and streaking in black, brown, and white; males additionally have spotting and streaking in reddish-brown. The elegant quail's beak is black, irises are brown, and legs are dark grey to black. This bird can be distinguished from the otherwise similar scaled quail (C. squamata), California quail (C. californica), and Gambel's quail (C. gambelii) by the colour of the male's crest and by the paler spotting on the flanks. Its vocalisations include a "chip-chip" call used by members of a covey to stay in contact while they feed on the ground during the day, and a "cu-cow" call given when the covey assembles at the roosting site in the evening, and again in the morning before the group sets off to forage. Distribution and habitat: Elegant quail are found only in Mexico, on the Pacific slopes of the Sierra Madre Occidental at altitudes up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Their range extends from Sonora and southwestern Chihuahua to northern Jalisco. They are generally found in thorny scrub, deciduous forest, open ground, and cultivated fields. When disturbed, elegant quail either freeze or run through undergrowth, and only take to the wing reluctantly.
