Driving down a driveway this morning we stopped as there was a bird we had never seen before and couldnt believe our eyes as it was nothing like any Australian bird we had ever seen.
We tried to follow it to take a picture but it disappeared. I finally found what it is in my bird book and its a California Quail. The only thing we can think of is that someone must have had it in a cage and its escaped. We can also hear it calling. Can anyone give us any info on this bird. Just hope it can look after itself in the bush. Fortunately our area is bushy and not too many houses close by.
What would it eat? Look forward to some information. I will attach a picture of a California Quail.
If you live on Norfolk Island they are wild and will look after themselves.
Peter
Where did you see this bird?
"What would it eat?" Or do you mean what would it taste like? :)
they are a prized gamebird and regarded as a something of a delicacy. in fact in their native california over a million of the birds are shot every year, breeding capacity (apparently) offsets this loss and it is regarded as sustainable.
as a result of its taste and ornamental appearance they have been deliberately introduced far and wide, mostly unsuccessfully, though not always.
like most quail the diet consists mainly of seeds
There is a wild population on King Island, what is your location?
LM
On my driveway and I live in the Southern Highlands NSW
Had no idea it could be eaten
Southern Highlands NSW
I am hoping it doesnt get caught by the hawks or foxes.
Given your location it is most likely an escapee, as you say. Unlikely to survive long in the wild, faced with predators and competition.
LM
captive populations have also lost natural egg-incubation instincts, meaning the eggs need to be incubated artificially to hatch, so they are most unlikely to establish self-sustaining populations (deliberate introductions of the species to new areas for hunting purposes in past decades were of wild birds).
I cannot see this bird existing too long seeing as we have foxes, cats, roaming dogs.
try catching it (might be a bit ambitious) and ringing local avicultural societies.
It's reassuring that it's unlikely to breed in the wild. Even so, I'm always dubious about keeping animals in cages, not just for the animals' sakes but also because escapees can create havoc among native animal populations. Members may have read about the house fire near Adelaide a few days ago during which a number of snake species escaped. Some were extremely venomous & most, if not all, were introduced species. Imagine the potential problems among native snake populations if breeding pairs of any of these snake species became established. The same principle applies to birds so it mightn't be such a bad thing if this California Quail became a predator's tucker.
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/6723/honey+quail+with+stir+fried+vegies
Yum!
i believe in NZ the Cali quail is generally regarded as ecologically benign, because it inhabits pastures and scrub dominated by exotic species where native bird species tend to naturally avoid (in fact there has been some concern over an apparent decline in the california quail population there due to its economic drawcard).
interestingly the native New Zealand Quail is extinct; Australian Brown Quail have been introduced.
He He
I think it has gone, havent seen or heard it last 24hrs.
Eeeek, cannot imagine those snakes running loose. I agree about caged animals of any sort. Not a fan.
Just like to thank everyone for their feedback
Another stimulating discussion from the keyboard of Misty.