With a chick and normal and stunted Subterranean Cloverĭarryl Wheye: California Quail in Woodside See more of Johanna's photographs.įor more photos of California Quail (and text), see 10000 birdsĭarryl Wheye: California Quail, after Audubon Johanna van de Woestijne's photo of California Quail benefiting from the cover provided by native plantings such as native California lilac ( Ceanothus spp) in rurubian areas around the campus. Quail Eggs and Clover Precocial and Altricial Young, Flock Defense "Quail in Area, Drive Carefully" signs would improve their safety. ![]() Note any roadways the birds cross, and try to determine if Note if birds are seen in areas with native or weed plants v. See if coveys seem to be blocked by fencing or the absence of cover.ģ. Share your sightings-especially of the birds nesting on campus and try to keep a journal.Ģ. The decline is apparent both on campus and in other more urbanized areas.ġ. On campus the birds are at risk to predation by cats and other urban-adapted predators, and habitat fragmentation, which reduces recolonization. Meanwhile, by the late 1980s statewide hunters were taking 2 million birds annually. Quail protection expanded across the city within a year, and the bird was designated San Francisco’s official bird. The Presidio, which has San Francisco's largest quail population, installed eight “Quail in Area, Drive Carefully” road signs and initiated monitoring projects and habitat restoration activities. In 1999, the National Audubon Society added them to their list of threatened bird species and the San Francisco chapter launched a "Save the Quail" campaign to counter habitat loss and predation by feral cats in Golden Gate Park, where the population had dropped to 12 from about 1,200. The birds are primarily seen either in southern portions of campus, where they forage in grassy habitats or under oaks and use dense brush and ornamental plantings for cover, around Lagunita, or in the Dish area.īy the 1960s Bay Area quail populations, which had been generally widespread and common were declining and heading toward local extinctions. Sightings in the general area are now uncommon and declining, probably in response to predation, especially by cats, and reduced dispersal through the campus from "natural" areas. As recently as the early 1990s, coveys could be found in the Arboretum and around the Oval, but these have mostly disappeared. Historically common throughout campus, but now extirpated from many areas. ![]() One measure of their popularity is their designation as California's state bird. One measure of their adaptability is producing small broods during drought years, which reduces the risk of rearing young who will eventually starve (See below: Quail Eggs and Clover and Wheye drawing after Audubon). Populations recovered, hunting has continued, some areas are artificially stocked, and today the bag limit within the state is 10 birds. More than 375,000 birds were shipped in from southern California that year, bringing hunters $32,000, or about a dollar per dozen.Īlthough considered hardy and adaptable, the popular birds were overhunted, and by 1885 targeting them was no longer profitable. In San Francisco in 1881-82, for example, quail-on-toast went for thirty cents. These occasional hunters are themselves hunted. This scene is a little unusual since the birds usually eat seeds and foliage. Audubon shows the female investigating what may be a Harvestman (or Daddylonglegs), an eight-legged arachnid that resembles a spider, but is not venomous.
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