WhenToBird

Callipepla californica · Odontophoridae

When Do California Quails Arrive in Oregon?

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

California Quails are in Oregon all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late April, peak in late May (9.5% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (early February) they are still on about 3.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 22-30late April
PeakMay 22-31late May
Fall back byJun 22-30late June
FewestFeb 1-7early February

Best: late May. Here all year; numbers build from late April and fall back by late June. Peak: on about 9.5% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  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%Jan 1-7: 3.8% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.5% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.3% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.1% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.2% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.2% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.5% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.1% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.5% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.7% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.8% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.9% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.6% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.2% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.9% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.3% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.5% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.4% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.7% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 10% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.4% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.8% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.2% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.0% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.0% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.7% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.6% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.4% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.5% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.7% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.0% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.8% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.5% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.5% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.8% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.5% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.2% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.3% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.4% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.0% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.6% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.4% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.2% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.1% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.3% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.2% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.6% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.0% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Harney CountyBest the second week of January · 121 checklists that week, 40,943 in all35%
  2. Baker CountyBest mid February · 114 checklists that week, 6,705 in all31%
  3. Lake CountyBest late November · 34 checklists that week, 13,301 in all31%
  4. Morrow CountyBest the second week of May · 94 checklists that week, 3,484 in all29%
  5. Umatilla CountyBest mid May · 434 checklists that week, 17,651 in all27%
  6. Grant CountyBest early December · 33 checklists that week, 6,818 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Warm SpringsHarney County, best late May · 37 checklists that week, 145 in all80%
  2. Goose Lake State Recreation AreaLake County, best the second week of June · 23 checklists that week, 429 in all78%
  3. Christmas Valley LakeLake County, best early May · 26 checklists that week, 612 in all75%
  4. Malheur National Wildlife RefugeHarney County, best late October · 28 checklists that week, 4,410 in all71%
  5. Camp Polk Meadow PreserveDeschutes County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 723 in all71%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the California Quail is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.2% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 10% of 50677 checklists7 am: 8.8% of 125347 checklists8 am: 7.8% of 163668 checklists9 am: 6.3% of 160351 checklists10 am: 5.0% of 148940 checklists11 am: 4.1% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 3.6% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 3.6% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 3.8% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 4.3% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 4.5% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 5.2% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 5.7% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 4.7% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January3.8%3.5%3.3%3.1%
February3.2%3.2%3.5%3.1%
March3.5%3.7%3.8%3.9%
April4.6%5.2%5.9%6.3%
May7.5%8.4%8.7%10%
June9.4%7.8%7.2%6.0%
July6.0%5.7%5.6%5.4%
August5.5%5.7%6.0%5.8%
September6.5%6.5%6.8%6.5%
October5.2%5.3%5.4%5.0%
November4.6%4.4%4.2%4.1%
December4.3%4.2%4.6%4.0%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Oregon
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • California: arrives early April, 3 weeks earlier than Oregon

Common questions

When do California Quails arrive in Oregon?
California Quails are in Oregon all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late April, peak in late May (9.5% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (early February) they are still on about 3.2% of checklists.
When do California Quails leave Oregon?
California Quails never fully leave Oregon: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late June, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a California Quail in Oregon?
The California Quail is reported most often in late May, on about 9.5% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are California Quails seen most often?
By county, Harney County, Baker County, and Lake County have the highest peak reporting rates for the California Quail (counties with at least 200 checklists).