Gambel's Quail
Gambel's Quail has surged: up 139% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
About the Gambel's Quail
The Gambel's Quail (Callipepla gambelii) is a North American member of the New World Quail (Odontophoridae). In this analysis it is grouped with the game birds.
- Size
- 8–11 in long (20–28 cm) — a small, round game bird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Fields, brushland, prairie and the forest floor, where it forages and nests on the ground.
- Diet
- Seeds, grain, buds, leaves and insects gathered on the ground.
- Range
- Recorded on 177 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 8 states, most concentrated in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts.
- Family
- Odontophoridae · Game birds
Notable Gambel's Quail Trends
Gambel's Quail has surged in surveyed states: up 139% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
Gambel's Quail Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Gambel's Quail is projected to rise about 20% by 2029 — from 0.61 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.73 (95% range 0.40–1.1). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±26.2%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.69 | 0.37 | 1.0 |
| 2026 | 0.70 | 0.38 | 1.0 |
| 2027 | 0.71 | 0.39 | 1.0 |
| 2028 | 0.72 | 0.39 | 1.0 |
| 2029 | 0.73 | 0.40 | 1.1 |
Where the Gambel's Quail Is Detected
BBS routes recording Gambel's Quail, sized by most recent count.
Gambel's Quail Population Trend by State
| Arizona | +44% | 1970 | 68 |
| California | -66% | 1970 | 37 |
| Colorado | +135% | 1992 | 9 |
| Idaho | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Nevada | +662% | 1970 | 9 |
| New Mexico | +545% | 1970 | 35 |
| Texas | 34× | 1994 | 8 |
| Utah | +911% | 1990 | 9 |
Gambel's Quail Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Great Basin | +46% | 1970 | 7 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | +9% | 1970 | 39 |
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | +32% | 1970 | 74 |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | +15% | 1970 | 28 |
| Chihuahuan Desert | 22× | 1970 | 25 |
Gambel's Quail Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 139% since 1970.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.