Length: 9.8 in (25 cm)
Males have a prominent crest, chestnut flanks striped with white, and creamy belly with black patch. Females are grayer, lacking the strong head pattern. Gambel's Quails walk or run along the ground in groups called coveys that can include a dozen or more birds. They scratch for food under shrubs and cacti, eating grasses and cactus fruits. Gambel's Quail are ground-feeding desert birds—so they are likely to visit yards that offer bird seed and water at ground level. They sometimes also come up to elevated platform feeders.