Mountain Quail
Mountain Quail has surged: up 106% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
About the Mountain Quail
The Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus) 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 212 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 4 states, most concentrated in the Northern Pacific Rainforest.
- Family
- Odontophoridae · Game birds
Notable Mountain Quail Trends
Mountain Quail has surged in surveyed states: up 106% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
Mountain Quail Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Mountain Quail is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.12 (95% range 0.00–0.29). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±60.9%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.13 | 0.00 | 0.31 |
| 2026 | 0.13 | 0.00 | 0.30 |
| 2027 | 0.12 | 0.00 | 0.30 |
| 2028 | 0.12 | 0.00 | 0.30 |
| 2029 | 0.12 | 0.00 | 0.29 |
Where the Mountain Quail Is Detected
BBS routes recording Mountain Quail, sized by most recent count.
Mountain Quail Population Trend by State
| California | +49% | 1970 | 154 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Oregon | +25% | 1971 | 51 |
| Washington | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
Mountain Quail Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -4% | 1970 | 75 |
| Great Basin | -72% | 1972 | 26 |
| Northern Rockies | +3% | 1997 | 11 |
| Sierra Nevada | +85% | 1970 | 40 |
| Coastal California | +11% | 1970 | 58 |
Mountain Quail Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 106% 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.