Birds
Mountain Quail
Oreortyx pictus · also called mountain quails
Rather than taking flight for the winter, a mountain quail simply starts walking, descending a Pacific coast mountainside on foot step by step, its two long straight head plumes bobbing above chestnut-and-white barred flanks.
Overview
The mountain quail, Oreortyx pictus, is the largest quail species native to North America, found in forest and mountain habitat along the Pacific coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington. Its unusual on-foot elevational migration, long straight head plumes distinct from its curved-crested relatives, and bold chestnut-and-white flank barring make it one of the most physically and behaviourally distinctive quail species found anywhere on the continent.
A migration made on foot
While many birds migrate by flying vast distances, the mountain quail instead walks its seasonal migration, descending mountain slopes on foot as winter approaches and climbing back up again in spring, a genuinely unusual strategy among migratory birds.
Status
Least Concern, though decreasing in parts of its range due to habitat change along the Pacific coast of North America.
Mountain Quail: common questions
How does the mountain quail migrate without flying long distances?
This species performs a seasonal elevational migration largely on foot, walking downhill to lower elevation as winter approaches and back uphill in spring, an unusual migration strategy for a bird that relies on walking rather than sustained flight to travel between seasonal ranges.
How big is the mountain quail compared to other North American quail?
This species is the largest quail species native to North America, considerably bigger than more familiar relatives such as the California quail, making it one of the more physically imposing quail species found on the continent.
How can you tell a mountain quail from a California quail?
This species has two long, straight head plumes, quite different from the shorter, forward-curving topknot found on the California quail and Gambel's quail, making head plume shape one of the clearest ways to distinguish the mountain quail from its relatives.
Why does the mountain quail have such a loud call?
This species produces a loud, far-carrying call used to help reunite groups that have become scattered while moving through dense mountain vegetation, a useful adaptation for a bird that spends much of its time in thick understorey where visual contact is easily lost.