WhenToBird

Callipepla californica · Odontophoridae

When Do California Quails Arrive in Idaho?

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

The California Quail is in Idaho all year. It turns up on about 24% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 11% in its quietest week (early February).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 8-14the second week of May
Quietest weekFeb 1-7early February

Best: the second week of May. Here all year. Peak: on about 24% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  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%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 12% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 12% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 10% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 12% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 12% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 13% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 13% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 14% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 15% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 16% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 17% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 20% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 22% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 25% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 24% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 24% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 21% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 20% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 18% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 17% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 14% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 14% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 13% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 14% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 14% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 13% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 16% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 16% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 17% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 16% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 16% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 16% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 15% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 15% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 14% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 15% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 16% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 15% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 15% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 14% of 7792 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Adams CountyBest early March · 94 checklists that week, 5,826 in all67%
  2. Payette CountyBest the second week of May · 86 checklists that week, 2,860 in all59%
  3. Nez Perce CountyBest the second week of June · 175 checklists that week, 10,708 in all54%
  4. Shoshone CountyBest early December · 35 checklists that week, 2,886 in all53%
  5. Canyon CountyBest early June · 521 checklists that week, 31,704 in all51%
  6. Gem CountyBest late May · 340 checklists that week, 8,320 in all47%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Deer Flat National Wildlife RefugeCanyon County, best late May · 26 checklists that week, 498 in all97%
  2. Hulls Gulch Reserve (Highlands)Ada County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 394 in all94%
  3. Fort Boise Wildlife Management AreaCanyon County, best mid May · 30 checklists that week, 1,235 in all92%
  4. Lydle GulchAda County, best the second week of May · 112 checklists that week, 1,368 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the California Quail is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (24% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 22% of 9122 checklists7 am: 22% of 22204 checklists8 am: 25% of 38672 checklists9 am: 18% of 38930 checklists10 am: 15% of 37338 checklists11 am: 14% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 12% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 11% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 11% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 12% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 14% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 16% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 16% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 17% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January12%12%12%11%
February10%12%12%13%
March13%12%14%15%
April16%17%20%22%
May25%24%24%21%
June20%18%17%14%
July15%14%13%13%
August14%14%13%16%
September16%17%16%16%
October16%16%15%15%
November16%15%14%15%
December16%15%15%14%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: summer visitor, peaks the second week of May
  • Utah: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Oregon: all year, most in spring, peaks late May
  • Washington: all year, most in spring, peaks late May

Common questions

When do California Quails arrive in Idaho?
The California Quail is in Idaho all year. It turns up on about 24% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 11% in its quietest week (early February).
When do California Quails leave Idaho?
The California Quail does not leave Idaho: it is reported all year, from 11% of checklists in early February to 24% in the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a California Quail in Idaho?
The California Quail is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 24% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are California Quails seen most often?
By county, Adams County, Payette County, and Nez Perce County have the highest peak reporting rates for the California Quail (counties with at least 200 checklists).