Quail in Oliver huddle together to keep warm in freezing temperatures.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Shirl Sobkow
January 16, 2024 - 6:00 AM
California quail can be seen in backyards across the Okanagan with their feathers fluffed up, huddling in groups or voraciously eating seeds to keep warm during the current deep freeze.
Photographers throughout the Okanagan snapped photos of the adorable little birds.
The birds, which are recognized by the adorable comma-shaped plumes on their heads, are highly sociable and move around in flocks.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about quail in the Southern Interior
They don't migrate in the winter, but instead form even larger coveys in the cold and cuddle together to conserve body heat.
The flocks are known to burst out of the shrubs into the air when startled by a passerby.
California quail are native to the southwestern United States states and were introduced to BC in the 19th century.
READ MORE: The Okanagan's favourite non-resident bird may be on the move
They're found mostly in the Okanagan but its rumoured among birders and wildlife enthusiasts they have been spotted in the Kamloops area in the past five years.
If you've taken photos of quail and want to share, send them to news@infonews.ca.
Quail eating in the snow, Kelowna.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Hollie Lorentz
A quail snacks on seeds in a backyard in Kelowna.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Hollie Lorentz
A pair of chilly Penticton quail in winter.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Jodi Forster
A quail in a tree on a winter day in Penticton.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Lilian Blashko
A quail perches on a limb in Kelowna in early winter.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Patricia Arrance
This quail was spotted in Keremeos before the snow fell this winter.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Kathy Green
To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.
News from © iNFOnews, 2024