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Quail and Their Fancy Feathers
Their fabulous plumage would fit right in at the Met Gala!
Gambel’s Quail and California Quail are both well known for the comma-shaped tuft of inky black feathers poised atop the crown of their heads. For both species, this decorative “topknot” is formed from six individual feathers that contour together into a single structure. Yet they’re hardly the only quail with a fashionable updo. Though we don’t know exactly why so many quail evolved elaborate headdresses, they may help the birds attract a mate or intimidate competitors.
BirdNote®
Quail and Their Fancy Feathers
Written by Ariana Remmel
This is BirdNote.
[Gambel’s Quail]
With silver, gold, and copper-toned plumage, Gambel’s Quail have every reason to strut their stuff on the trails of the Sonoran Desert. But their fancy headdress would fit right in at the Met Gala!
Both males and females look like they’ve got a large, inky black comma poised atop the crown of their heads. Their grassland relatives, the California Quail have them too! For both species, this decorative “topknot” is formed from six individual feathers that contour together into a single structure that appears to bounce lightly with each step.
And these are hardly the only quail with a fancy updo.
[Mountain Quail]
In the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains, the Mountain Quail displays two long and wispy black head plumes that stick straight up when the bird is alert.
[Elegant Quail]
In the deserts of northwestern Mexico, the Elegant Quail sports a shock of coppery feathers like a fire atop the bird’s head.
[Scaled Quail]
Scaled Quail, named for the almost reptilian pattern of their breast feathers, don’t have a topknot per say. But they do have a modest crest with a flash of white — earning them the nickname “cottontops”.
It’s hard to say why each of these species evolved such elaborate head feathers. Perhaps they help quail attract a mate and intimidate other suitors. But whatever the intended purpose, these birds are ready for even the fanciest functions.
[Gambel’s Quail covey]
For BirdNote, I’m Ariana Remmel.
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Elegant Quail [ML109165], Gambel's Quail [ML40518] Mountain Quail [ML42202] and Scaled Quail [ML105249] recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller. Gambel's Quail [ML360354511] recorded by Paul Marvin.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2025 BirdNote August 2025
Narrator: Ariana Remmel
ID# quail-01-2025-08-18 quail-01
References:
https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/calqua/cur/appearance
Ariana Remmel
Writer NarratorSights & Sounds
