WhenToBird

Callipepla californica · Odontophoridae

When Do California Quails Arrive in California?

Adult California Quail
Photo: znot, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

California Quails are in California all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early April, peak in the second week of May (18% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 6.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 1-7early April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back byJun 22-30late June
FewestJan 15-21mid January

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from early April and fall back by late June. Peak: on about 18% of California checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 6.1% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.9% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.1% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.1% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.0% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.6% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.3% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.0% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.3% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.0% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.8% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 13% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 17% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 18% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 18% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 18% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 18% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 17% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 13% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 11% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 10% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 10% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 10% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 10% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 10% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.9% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.8% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.6% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.0% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.1% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.6% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.2% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.0% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.7% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.4% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.3% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.3% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.2% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.0% of 124993 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in California that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake CountyBest the second week of May · 341 checklists that week, 12,989 in all45%
  2. San Benito CountyBest late May · 563 checklists that week, 25,997 in all43%
  3. Madera CountyBest the second week of April · 322 checklists that week, 11,452 in all39%
  4. Mendocino CountyBest the second week of May · 1319 checklists that week, 47,934 in all37%
  5. Napa CountyBest early May · 402 checklists that week, 18,976 in all36%
  6. Kern CountyBest early May · 1413 checklists that week, 47,774 in all36%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Spooners CoveSan Luis Obispo County, best early April · 21 checklists that week, 1,837 in all99%
  2. Tolay Lake Regional ParkSonoma County, best mid May · 30 checklists that week, 1,188 in all98%
  3. EbmudContra Costa County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 523 in all98%
  4. Carmel Valley VillageMonterey County, best early May · 29 checklists that week, 1,508 in all93%
  5. La Honda Creek Open Space PreserveSan Mateo County, best late July · 28 checklists that week, 882 in all93%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In California, the California Quail is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (16% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 18% of 186053 checklists7 am: 15% of 444086 checklists8 am: 14% of 535846 checklists9 am: 12% of 486061 checklists10 am: 8.9% of 411130 checklists11 am: 7.3% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 6.4% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 6.4% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 6.6% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 6.9% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 7.3% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 9.4% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 10% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January6.1%5.9%6.1%6.1%
February6.0%6.6%6.3%7.0%
March7.3%8.0%9.8%11%
April13%15%17%18%
May18%18%18%17%
June16%14%13%13%
July12%11%11%10%
August10%11%10%10%
September10%10%9.9%9.8%
October9.6%9.0%9.1%8.6%
November8.2%8.0%7.7%7.4%
December7.3%7.3%8.2%7.0%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Utah: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Oregon: arrives late April, 3 weeks later than California
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks the second week of May

Common questions

When do California Quails arrive in California?
California Quails are in California all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early April, peak in the second week of May (18% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 6.1% of checklists.
When do California Quails leave California?
California Quails never fully leave California: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late June, but some are still reported in every week, about 6.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a California Quail in California?
The California Quail is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 18% of California checklists.
Where in California are California Quails seen most often?
By county, Lake County, San Benito County, and Madera County have the highest peak reporting rates for the California Quail (counties with at least 200 checklists).