A “Blue Quail Appreciation Day” is scheduled to be held at the Quail Ranch in Crane County on Friday, October 13, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Young birds of both species, blue (scaled) quail, left, and bobwhites, may make up a good portion of the this year's population as quail season kicks off Saturday. Ralph Winingham /Contibutor.

Out in the Trans-Pecos, where scaled quail outnumber their more famous bobwhite cousins, ... In the Trans-Pecos, the scaled (blue) quail index was 30.52 birds per survey route, ...

Scaled quail get their name from a feather pattern on their chests that resembles fish scales. In some places they’re called blue quail for their grayish-blue back feathers.

Scaled quail has earned the nickname "blue quail," "cotton top," or "Mexican quail," according to the TPWS. It can be identified by its bluish-grey color with extensive markings on the back, ...

Scaled quail populations in the Trans-Pecos leapt from a dip of 4.33 in 2021 (the lowest since 1995) to 13.06 in 2022, still below the 15-year (16.26) and long-term (17.56) averages but a move in ...

For scaled quail, the Trans-Pecos had 20.12 birds per route, above the 15-year average of 17.49. The number is similar to last year’s estimate of 20.65, but the two surveys tell very different ...