The California Quail, Callipepla californica, also known as the California Valley Quail or Valley Quail, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It is the state bird of California.

The California Quail is a highly sociable bird that often gathers in small flocks known as “coveys”, and one of the daily communal activities is the taking of dust baths. They seem to prefer sunny places in which to create these dust baths.

They are year-round residents. Although this bird coexists well at the edges of urban areas, it is declining in some areas as human populations increase. These birds forage on the ground, often scratching at the soil. They can sometimes be seen feeding at the sides of roads. Their diet consists mainly of seeds and leaves, but they also eat some berries and insects.

California Quail
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Galliformes Family: Odontophoridae Genus: Callipepla Species: C. californica
Binomial name
Callipepla californica (Shaw, 1798)

From Wikipedia