![]() Both parents may lead the newly hatched chicks to food sources, but the chicks can feed themselves. Males also defend their nesting territory when not sitting on the nest. They lay 10 to 12 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for about 25 to 26 days (NatureServe 2018 National Audubon Society 2018). Females usually scratch a nest into the ground, line it with grass, and then loosely weave a grass top to hide the nest from predators. ![]() Nesting success is tied to summer rains that encourage a flush of new habitat cover and food which is ideal for hatching new chicks. Mearns quail start forming pair bonds in early summer but often delay breeding and nesting until later in the summer (AGFD 2018 NatureServe 2018). They also have prominent circular lines and patches of black and white on their heads with a cinnamon crest. In addition, their back feathers have a light brown and black barring pattern. On each side of their body, the feathers are dark brown with numerous small white circles. Their breast feathers from their necks to their legs are a dark rich brown color. Males, on the other hand, are beautifully adorned with bold contrasting feathers. This is likely to help them blend in better while in the nest. Females are fairly plain looking: mottled cream feathers, light brown in color and light cream circles around the eyes. Unlike the bobwhite, however, male and female Mearns quail have very different colored feathers. It is shorter, but heavier than the bobwhite quail. The Mearns quail is a small bird with a round body, short tail, round wings, and a small head. Description and life history of the Mearns quail Here’s some more information about them if you’re looking to see one for yourself. While rarely seen here, you will feel very lucky seeing one of these stunning birds in the wild. The Mearns quail, also called the Montezuma quail or fool quail, is a beautiful southern species of quail that mostly occurs in Mexico, but also lives in the south-central United States. The Mearns quail, which is often called the Montezuma quail, is a rare site in America and ranged well into Mexico ![]() New England Grouse Shooting, by William Harnden Foster.The Upland Shooting Life, by George Bird Evans. ![]()
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