Scaled Quail
Scaled QuailScaled QuailScaled QuailScaled Quail

Scaled Quail

Callipepla squamata

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
30–40% · Possible
overall probability at Big Bend National Park
1,442 Verified records at Big Bend National Park
August Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The scaled quail (Callipepla squamata), also commonly called blue quail or cottontop, is a species of the New World quail family. It is a bluish gray bird found in the arid regions of the Southwestern United States to Central Mexico. This species is an early offshoot of the genus Callipepla, diverging in the Pliocene. The nest is typically a grass-lined hollow containing 9–16 speckled eggs. When disturbed, it prefers to run rather than fly. Widespread and common throughout its range, the scaled quail is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Wikipedia →

30–40% of wildlife watchers report a Scaled Quail sighting in Big Bend National Park, based on 1,442 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Big Bend National Park

Gambel's Quail
LC

Gambel's Quail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Callipepla gambelii

<5% · Rare
Montezuma Quail
LC

Montezuma Quail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cyrtonyx montezumae

Insufficient data
Northern Bobwhite
NT Endemic

Northern Bobwhite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Colinus virginianus

Insufficient data
Wild Turkey
LC Endemic

Wild Turkey

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Meleagris gallopavo

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

10–20
Jan
10–20
Feb
20–30
Mar
30–40
Apr
40–50
May
40–50
Jun
40–50
Jul
50–60
Aug
40–50
Sep
40–50
Oct
20–30
Nov
20–30
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
30–40%
2 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Scaled Quail in Big Bend National Park?

About 32% of wildlife watchers report a Scaled Quail sighting in Big Bend National Park, based on 1,442 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Scaled Quail in Big Bend National Park?

August has the highest sighting rate for Scaled Quail in Big Bend National Park in our monthly data.

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