4980 x 3510 px | 42,2 x 29,7 cm | 16,6 x 11,7 inches | 300dpi
Aufnahmedatum:
2008
Ort:
Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada
Weitere Informationen:
A common bird of the chaparral and other western brushy areas, the California Quail is tolerant of people. It is common in parks and suburban areas. The topknot looks like a single feather, but it is actually a cluster of six overlapping plumes. The California Quail digests vegetation with the help of protozoans in its intestine. Chicks acquire the protozoans by pecking at the feces of adults. Several California Quail broods may mix after hatching and are attended by all of the parents of those broods. Adults that engage in communal brooding live longer than adults that do not. Mated pairs call antiphonally: they alternate calls and fit them into a specific pattern. Despite living in arid environments, the California Quail needs drinking water during periods of sustained heat. During cooler weather, it can get enough moisture from eating insects and succulent vegetation. The California Quail eat mainly seeds which they peck and scratch from the ground like chickens. They like legume (Pea family) seeds. Some of their favorite legumes to eat are lupines including Sky lupine, Lupinus nanus and other Lupine species. They consumes many other seeds as well.
