It’s a covey of quail. There were at least twelve of them, might have been a couple more. They were scurrying about and refused to count off, no matter how nicely I asked.
It was just before sunset. They all stayed in the shadows.
They didn’t spook, even when I opened the shutters on the window to get a better view. Their markings and coloration were spectacular!
Most were brown like this one above, but a couple were jet black while still having the same patterns. I don’t know if that a different subspecies, one was male, the other female, or if it’s a total coincidence and normal variation within the species.
Between these guys and the roadrunner, it’s been a busy bird week at the Willett Nature Sanctuary (a.k.a., our back yard)!
We Love The Stars Too Fondly 