Tuateawa Bird Spot: Californian Quail.

Quail are quite a feature of Tuateawa. Unaware of the fact that they are a very tasty game bird they are quite trusting and almost domesticated. They quickly come to expect the provision of bird food and it is possible to hand feed them, particularly the chicks.

Being ground nesting they do have major problems with mammalian predation. Fortunately each nest that survives will contain a dozen or more eggs. Accumulating this many eggs could take more than a fortnight. Even so, they will all hatch within a couple of hours of each other. It is thought that the chicks coordinate their hatching by cheeping to each other whilst they are still in the egg. Once hatched they are instantly mobile and self feeding. The male parent is usually on watch while the chicks feed. They run and hide when warned but within three weeks they can also fly a bit. Family groups often combine, sometimes including unpaired males and this adds another layer of protection for the chicks. Competition between breeding pairs is gradually replaced by cooperation. Come winter the birds forage together in quite large coveys.

Like many NZ birds quail have been introduced. The first birds were introduced in Nelson in 1865. This was very successful. By 1890 there were so many quail they were being canned and exported!

Introduced species can often have severe negative effects on native plants and animals. There doesn't seem to be any indication of this in the literature in relation to quail. Our only native quail was on the verge of extinction before the Californian Quail was introduced. If you are a gardener you will be less favourably inclined. Quail do like a daily dust bath and, being largely vegetarian, do enjoy pecking away at young seedlings. It is also noticeable that large numbers of Tobacco Weed/ Woolly Nightshade seedlings can be found where quail congregate.