Gambel's quail

American  

[gahm-buhls kweyl] / ˈgɑm bəls ˈkweɪl /

noun

1. a bluish-gray true quail, Callipepla gambelii, with a distinctive forward-curving plume, or topknot: native to the desert areas of the western U.S., it is often confused with the California quail, but the Gambel’s quail has a somewhat longer topknot and, on the male, a copper-colored cap.

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Etymology

Origin of Gambel's quail

First recorded in 1850–55; named after William Gambel (1823–49), U.S. ornithologist and botanist

Example Sentences

Compared with the Callipepla quail, Gambel’s quail has an extensive distribution through part of each of the North American deserts: Sonora, Chihuahua, Mohave and Great Basin.

From New York Times • Dec. 28, 2011

Gambel’s quail occur at lower elevations to the east of California quail, where there are higher temperatures and less rainfall.

From New York Times • Dec. 28, 2011

Perhaps the most interesting will be comparing Gambel’s quail that I have studied in the United States with those in southwestern Sonora State.

From New York Times • Dec. 28, 2011

Knowing where the elegant quail are at Pedregal, I can afford to leave for a few days to investigate this putative subspecies of Gambel’s quail.

From New York Times • Dec. 28, 2011

Also I'd indicated prairie dogs and squinch owls and Gambel's quail and road runners and a couple of coyotes and lizards and other miscellaneous fauna.

From The Killer by White, Stewart Edward