Ca. valley vs gambel quail?

[novanod1966]

hey there,

can anyone tell me the differences between the two? i purchased (separately of course) both species eggs from different sources. made dividers for the incubator, kept them separate there, as well as the brooder cage. now they're (both species) are getting their adult plumage but they look so similar. the valley quail (males) have a brown patch behind their "top not". i thought only the gambels have this. i'm confused.

could someone please help .... maybe post side x side pics so i could compare their differences?

thanks

 

[the outdoorsman44]

The second one is the valley

 

[the outdoorsman44]

I think of valleys as being fancy and gambels, not so much. Valley quail also have a yellowish spot right above their beaks. and brown patch do you mean what looks like red hair?

 

[Sister Mary Michael]

Valleys have black scaled edges on the chest and belly feathers; Gambels do not.

 

[shwung79]

Hi all . I have tried hatching Valleys for the first time and had very bad success. Eggs didn't develop and I only had 2 hatch. After keeping for a few weeks, they up and died on me. They pulled the 'ol fly and crack your head trick. I contacted the seller and he said these birds only lay for a period of time and are done for the year

… so. I am Valley-less

 

[novanod1966]

thanks for the info... so what i gather so far is:

the Valley quail:

1) has a darker brown spot behind the top knot
2) has a yellow / buff spot above the beak
3) has scaling on the belly region

the gambel:

1) has a more red colored spot behind the top knot
2) DOESN'T have yellow / buff spot above beak
3) scaling is LACKING on belly
4) has buff color on the belly

that right?

thanks!!!

 

[Ntsees]

In addition to what others have posted. For beginners: male gambels - while looking at the belly: yellow below the chest/crop area and becomes pitch black at the abdomen. In male California/valleys - while looking at the belly: yellow below the chest/crop area and becomes dark orange at the abdomen.

For females, I'm sorry but if you are new, it may be difficult: female gambels - while looking at the side, the side feathers (the feathers with the short white stripe) are dark chestnut colored. Male Gambels also have the same side feathering pattern as females. In female California/valleys - while looking at the side, the side feathers (the feathers with the short white stripe) are brown. Male California/valleys also have the same side feathering pattern as females.

And then to make things tougher, there are hybrids between the two species which makes identification difficult, but just stick to the above. If you're still unsure, post pictures of your birds and we'll help you out.

 

[Ntsees]

Hi all . I have tried hatching Valleys for the first time and had very bad success. Eggs didn't develop and I only had 2 hatch. After keeping for a few weeks, they up and died on me. They pulled the 'ol fly and crack your head trick. I contacted the seller and he said these birds only lay for a period of time and are done for the year

… so. I am Valley-less

Valley's are wild birds and don't lay eggs year-round like chickens. You pretty much only have one shot and that's only in the spring season. They are stretching it if they are still laying in the summer.

 

[the outdoorsman44]

The females for both species are kind of like the same thing but brown

 

[novanod1966]

i did at the time of incubation and brooding keep the 2 species separate (and they were purchased at totally different times) so there is no way i got them mixed (too much of an age difference). i noticed that they looked VERY similar. i needed conformation (in my own mind) that i did get 100% what i paid for. i dont like questioning a breeder's integrity, but i've heard of people mixing pheasant species and bobwhite strains. the breeders i purchased the eggs from (on ebay) had both species.

they are in process of obtaining their adult plummage, so it's just a matter of time before i am sure of them.

thanks all

ps.... to the person who lost a whole hatch, i'm truely sorry for your loss. the valley and gambel i've notice are extemely nervous birds. if you want birds you can look at thru the cage without them going crazy... then the valley and gambel are NOT the birds for you. they are pretty but as you come near the cage they hide, which really defeats the purpose of having them.