About the Book
We all recognize the California Quail, with its striking good looks and mellow call notes. Widely distributed along the whole Pacific Coast, it has long been of interest to bird-lovers, sportsmen, ranchers, and wildlife biologists. In early times it was an important food source, and stocks were rapidly depleted by market hunters. Today its populations are being restored through the efforts of both private land-owners and government agencies.
This comprehensive report summarizes what is known about the history, biology, and management of the species. It recounts the impact of settlement on quail, it describes the quail's intriguing social life, covey relationships, nesting behavior, and habitat requirements. Males, for example, play an important role in chick-rearing; chemical compounds in food substantially influence the nesting success of females. A major part of this book tells how to provide proper over, food, and drinking water that are needed to increase quail populations, whether for hunting or for observation and enjoyment. The suggestions offered stem from decades of scientific research and practical management effort.
Written by a renowned wildlife biologist who worked on the quail for many years, this volume will be the definitive work from both the natural history and game management points of view. It is copiously illustrated with photographs and drawings, and will be of use to anyone who wishes to understand and foster the state bird.
Table of Contents
List of Figures and Tables
PREFACE
PROLOGUE
By Ian McMillan
PART I. THE BIRD AND ITS HISTORY
I. The Species and Its Distribution
California's State Bird
Native range of the species and its close relatives
Subspecies of California Quail
Mixing genetic strains through restocking
Extension of the California Quail range through transplants
The California Quail throughout the world
Competition with exotic game birds
2. Historical Perspectives
Indian use of California Quail
The quail in colonial California
Market hunting during the period of settlement
The quail "peak" 1860 to 1895
The quail decline
3. Early Efforts to Restore Quail in California
The genesis of management
Protective regulations
Quail refuges
Predator control
Artificial restocking
Habitat improvement
Resume of management experience
4. Land Use and Quail Habitat
Clear the valleys, graze the hills
Regional characteristics of quail range
Basic habitat needs
Cover
Food
Water
Changes in crops, tillage, and grazing practice in California
Quail in the chaparral
The invasion of brome grass in western rangelands
Logging in forested areas
Trends in land use
PART II. NATURAL HISTORY
5. Sociality in California Quail
Gregarious tendency in the species
Advantages in social organization
Sentry duty of cocks
Calls of the California Quail
Covey formation
Covey integrity
Covey territoriality
Covey size
Seasonal movements of quail
6. Covey Break-up and the Nesting Season
Weakening of the covey bond
Pairing behavior
The unmated cocks
Hormonal changes leading to reproduction
Development of the gonads
Changes in body weight
Nesting
Double-brooding
Non-breeding in unfavorable years
Quail reproduction in mesic and cool regions
7. Growth and Development of the Young Brooding
Nutrition of young chicks
The intestinal fauna
Rate of growth of young quail
Bursa of Fabricius
Plumages and molts
Plumage molt in adults
Sexual maturity in California Quail
8. Sex and Age Ratios and Their Interpretation
Sources of composition data
The annual cycle-!
Sex ratio
Age ratio
Year-to-year differences in production
Maximum age of quail
9. Rainfall as a Factor Affecting Reproductive Success
Rainfall and quail reproduction in northern and coastal ranges
Rainfall and quail reproduction in arid zones
Forb years vs. grass years
Pre-conditioning of breeding quail
Quail nutrition and reproduction
Green food as a stimulant to breeding in desert rodents
The possible role of steroids in regulating breeding
Legume seeds as a possible stimulus to breeding
Rainfall as a direct stimulant to breeding
Concomitant benefits of rainfall to quail reproduction
Relation of population density to breeding success
10. Quail Mortality
Mortality vs. natality
Quail predators
Disease and parasites
Agricultural poisons
Starvation
Hunting as a source of mortality
Miscellaneous losses
Density-dependent vs. density-independent mortality
PART III. QUAIL MANAGEMENT
11. Supplying Cover Needs
The strategy of managing quail range
The need for brush coverts
Brush clearing
Brush management
Planting escape cover
Roosting cover
Brush piles
Other types of cover
Nesting cover
The significance of cover in quail management
12. Making Food Available
Food as a limiting factor
Feeding habits of California Quail
Seasonal changes of diet
Green foods
Agricultural crop residues
Grazing in relation to food availability
Other cultural procedures to stimulate forb growth
Augmenting food in chaparral areas
Artificial feeding
The husbandry of quail range
13. Supplying Drinking Water
Is water necessary?
Moisture requirements of broods
Normal drinking habits of California Quail
Distance traveled to water
Need for cover near the water source
Artificial watering devices
The gallinaceous guzzler
14. Hunting the California Quail
Hunting philosophy
Hunting rights
Hunting strategy
The role of the dog
Reassembly of hunted coveys
Recording the results of quail hunting
Season and bag limits
The hunting kill of quail in Califomia
Predicting the quail crop from spring call counts
Allowable harvest
Does hunting endanger quail populations?
15. Backyard Quail
Quail for pleasure
Cover
Food
Water
Cats and dogs
A quail call at daylight
EPILOGUE
APPENDICES
A. Quail in Aboriginal California.
By Karen M. Nissen.
B. Foods of the California Quail.
By Bruce M. Browning.
C. Effects of Differing Rainfall on Breeding of California Quail
in an Arid Environment.
By Michael J. Erwin.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
