Diets of California Quail

The California quail is the state bird of California. They generally prefer the edges of forest areas, which can often include public parks and even residential areas. Because of their wide range, California quails often interact with humans, and have become popular targets for bird watchers and enthusiasts. If you have a covey, or group of California quails, near your home, in your local park or if you have found a place to watch them, you may be able to attract them to you by knowing what and how to feed them.

  1. What do California Quails Eat?

    • California quails subsist on a diet that consists mainly of seeds. According to Las Piltas Nursery in Santa Margarita, California, the quail's favorite seeds come from legumes, which are members of the pea family. These plants include barley, clover and lupine. Quails can consume the seeds of other plants in the forest as well, including oak, poison oak and star thistle.

      Aside from legume seeds, California quails will consume food from their surrounding environment. Quails spend most of their time on the ground, and so they will find food there. They commonly eat food that has fallen from trees, such as leaves and acorns. When they do leave the ground, they spend a lot of time in bushes and short trees. There they will eat berries and shoots, as well as any leaves or acorns that remain on their roosting area.

      While on the ground, quails may even consume small insects. Hatchlings too young to forage for themselves are often fed insects by the adults of their covey. This stage does not last long, however, as baby quails are often ready to fly and forage as soon as 10 days after birth. It is rare for the adults to eat the insects themselves; the Fund for Animals Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in San Diego County, California, estimates that less than 5 percent of the California quail's diet consists of bugs.

    How Much do California Quails Eat?

    • According to Cornell University research, the quail has two eating bouts per day, in which it will forage for its food by scratching and pecking through the ground or branches. Spreading seeds or berries in your backyard or your local park may attract nearby quail near dawn and dusk, which are the most common eating times for wild animals.

      Remember that during mating season, males will often consume much less food, as they focus more on attracting females.