Scaled Quail
Scaled Quail has declined: down 26% on the route-weighted index since 1969.
About the Scaled Quail
The Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata) 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 232 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 8 states, most concentrated in the Shortgrass Prairie.
- Family
- Odontophoridae · Game birds
Notable Scaled Quail Trends
No notable trend signals for Scaled Quail. See the full index history below.
Scaled Quail Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Scaled Quail is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.35 (95% range 0.06–0.63). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±32.2%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.35 | 0.07 | 0.64 |
| 2026 | 0.35 | 0.07 | 0.64 |
| 2027 | 0.35 | 0.06 | 0.64 |
| 2028 | 0.35 | 0.06 | 0.64 |
| 2029 | 0.35 | 0.06 | 0.63 |
Where the Scaled Quail Is Detected
BBS routes recording Scaled Quail, sized by most recent count.
Scaled Quail Population Trend by State
| Arizona | +1% | 1970 | 11 |
| Colorado | -65% | 1971 | 25 |
| Kansas | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New Mexico | -13% | 1970 | 68 |
| Oklahoma | -58% | 1971 | 11 |
| Texas | -65% | 1969 | 112 |
| Utah | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Washington | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
Scaled Quail Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | -76% | 1970 | 32 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | -47% | 1969 | 77 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | -97% | 1969 | 20 |
| Oaks and Prairies | -93% | 1972 | 7 |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | -37% | 1970 | 12 |
| Chihuahuan Desert | -57% | 1969 | 54 |
| Tamaulipan Brushlands | -95% | 1969 | 24 |
Scaled Quail Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 26% since 1969.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.