California quail

[ kal-uh-fawrn-yuh kweyl, -fawr-nee-uh ]

noun

1. a grayish-brown, slightly bluish true quail, Callipepla californica, with a distinctive forward-curving plume, or topknot: inhabiting woodlands and shrubby areas of western North America, it is often confused with the Gambel's quail, but the California quail has a somewhat shorter topknot and, on the male, a dark brown cap.

Word History and Origins

Origin of California quail¹

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35