Scaled Quail

About the Scaled Quail

A pale, ghostly quail of the arid grasslands, the Scaled Quail takes its name - and its nickname, cottontop - from the scaly, feather-edged pattern across its breast and the little white-tipped crest on its head. Soft blue-gray overall, it blends beautifully into the dry country it calls home.

Scaled Quail prefer to run rather than fly, sprinting between clumps of cactus, mesquite, and desert scrub in coveys and flushing only as a last resort. They forage on the ground for seeds, insects, and green shoots, and gather at water where it can be found.

In Texas they are year-round residents of the western two-thirds of the state - the Trans-Pecos, the western plains, and the brush country - favoring open, sparse habitat too dry for the more familiar Northern Bobwhite.

A note from behind the lens: patient, low, and slow is the way to work them, ideally from a vehicle near a water source or a favored feeding area at dawn. Get to their level in soft light and that delicate scaled pattern comes alive.