Oreortyx pictus (Mountain Quail)
Credit: Aaron Maizlish
about the species
The Mountain Quail is a secretive and difficult to observe species, but occurs widely in dense vegetation of most mountain ranges from Washington state to Baja California. Within California this includes more humid ranges in the northeast and the drier mountains in southern California. The uniqueness of this quail species is reflected in its classification as the sole member of the genus Oreortyx. It is larger than other North American quail species and little plumage differences exist between the sexes.
why species was selected
The Mountain Quail spans a broad range of montane habitats making it a useful species for understanding local adaptation and patterns of genetic diversity across these habitat types. Additionally, this species is difficult to observe and analyses of landscape genomics will provide much needed insights into regional variation in population size and connectivity.
