WhenToBird

Callipepla californica · Odontophoridae

When Do California Quails Arrive in Nevada?

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

The California Quail is in Nevada all year. It turns up on about 18% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 7.1% in its quietest week (late January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 8-14the second week of May
Quietest weekJan 22-31late January

Best: the second week of May. Here all year. Peak: on about 18% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  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: 9.0% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.7% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.7% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.3% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.1% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.9% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.5% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.7% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.1% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.6% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.5% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.4% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 10% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 14% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 17% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 17% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 18% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 17% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 16% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 15% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 15% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 15% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 14% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 13% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.8% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.6% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.1% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.1% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.4% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.7% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.7% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.6% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.0% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.7% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 10% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.2% of 5101 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 Nevada 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 Nevada

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Carson CityBest the second week of June · 124 checklists that week, 6,992 in all59%
  2. Storey CountyBest the second week of June · 59 checklists that week, 1,593 in all53%
  3. Lyon CountyBest late May · 145 checklists that week, 3,229 in all47%
  4. Pershing CountyBest the second week of December · 12 checklists that week, 1,407 in all46%
  5. Washoe CountyBest mid May · 1356 checklists that week, 53,497 in all42%
  6. Churchill CountyBest the second week of May · 107 checklists that week, 3,104 in all41%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washoe Lake State Park (Duck Flat)Washoe County, best late April · 29 checklists that week, 391 in all86%
  2. Rancho San Rafael Regional Park (northwest)Washoe County, best mid May · 28 checklists that week, 372 in all85%
  3. Toiyabe National ForestWashoe County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 877 in all83%
  4. Mccarran Ranch PreserveStorey County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 293 in all83%
  5. Camp Carson ParkCarson City, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 424 in all82%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, the California Quail is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (114) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (71) to judge3 am: too few checklists (108) to judge4 am: too few checklists (459) to judge5 am: 9.6% of 4313 checklists6 am: 13% of 17070 checklists7 am: 14% of 27389 checklists8 am: 14% of 24858 checklists9 am: 13% of 22012 checklists10 am: 10% of 19284 checklists11 am: 9.4% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 7.8% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 7.8% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 8.1% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 8.7% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 9.7% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 12% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 13% of 5012 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3026) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (905) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (271) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (164) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (120) 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
January9.0%7.7%7.7%7.3%
February6.1%7.9%9.5%7.7%
March8.1%7.6%7.5%8.4%
April10%12%14%17%
May17%18%17%16%
June16%15%15%15%
July14%13%14%13%
August12%11%12%13%
September12%11%11%11%
October9.8%9.6%9.1%9.1%
November8.4%8.7%8.7%8.6%
December9.0%9.7%10%8.2%

Neighboring states

  • California: all year, most in spring, peaks the second week of May
  • Utah: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Oregon: all year, most in spring, peaks late May

Common questions

When do California Quails arrive in Nevada?
The California Quail is in Nevada all year. It turns up on about 18% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 7.1% in its quietest week (late January).
When do California Quails leave Nevada?
The California Quail does not leave Nevada: it is reported all year, from 7.1% of checklists in late January to 18% in the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a California Quail in Nevada?
The California Quail is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 18% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are California Quails seen most often?
By county, Carson City, Storey County, and Lyon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the California Quail (counties with at least 200 checklists).