Gambel\'s Quail
Callipepla gambelii

f10 @ 1/2500s, ISO:1000, Nikon D3S w 500mm and 1.7X tele-extender

\"Gambel\'s Quail,\" Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Gambel\'s Quail, Callipepla gambelii, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It inhabits the desert regions of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and Sonora; also New Mexico-border Chihuahua and the Colorado River region of Baja California.Gambel\'s quail can be commonly confused with California Quail due to similar plumage. They can usually be distinguished by range, but when this does not suffice, California quail have a more scaly appearance and the black patch on the lower breast of the male Gambel\'s Quail is absent in the California Quail.

Bosque del Apache NWR, New Mexico

01/17/2013