the GIANT quail of Catalina Island

By Edgar Castillo

Imagine a place where the quail are noticeably larger. Now throw in that the hunting of such “oversized” quail ended over 30 years ago. These quail were once the highlight of hunters and adventure seekers from the late 1870s, and sporadically into the early 1900s. Interest rose again during the Roaring 20s and Depression Era 30s by Hollywood’s elite and Cub’s baseball players. Do you know of this quail? The bird I am referring to is a variant of the California Quail, and it is found on Catalina Island.

Santa Catalina Island is a rocky island about 29 miles off the coast of Southern California. The island is 22 miles in length and 8 miles across at its greatest width. It is often referred to as simply Catalina.

The California quail (Callipepla californica) is a native upland gamebird to western North America The bird populates several western states. California hosts four valid sub-species; three mainland and one island...the Catalina Island Quail. Though some reports show the quail can now be found on surrounding islands.

The California quail, sometimes referred to as Valley quail, are small ground dwelling gamebirds. Adult California quail grow to 9.8 inches in height. Both sexes have a noticeable curved plume, made of six feathers that droop forward, atop their heads. The regal males sport a black exclamation, while the females a shorter brown teardrop headdress. Males have a dark brown cap and black face with a brownish back, and a grey-blue chest accented by an almost yellow patch, and a light brown belly. The females are mainly grey-brown with a light-colored chest.