Foods of scaled quail during prebreeding and breeding in northwest Texas

Date

1989-05

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Publisher

Texas Tech University

Abstract

Foods of Arizona scaled quail (Callipepla scruamata pallida) were studied from 1980 to 1982 at 2 locations in northwest Texas. Food habits were evaluated with respect to reproductive activity. Prereproductive season diets (Jan-Apr) were composed (% dry volume) of 79.6% seeds, 11.1% green vegetation, and 9.3% insects, whereas during the reproductive season (Apr-Jun), diets consisted of 39.3% seeds, 23.8% green vegetation, and 36.9% insects. Staple seed foods were russianthistle (Salsola kali) (44.5%), barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crusaalli) (10.2%), belvedere summercypress (Kochia scoparia) (8.1%), and western ragweed (Ambrosia psilostachya) (6.8%). Important foods eaten as green herbage were pinnate tansymustard (Descurainia pinnata) (21.4%), western ragweed (19.7%), prairie pepperweed (Lepidium densiflorum) (14.0%), gordon bladderpod (Lesquerella qordonii) (13.9%), broom snakeweed (Xanthocephalum sarothrae) (9.1%), and nuttall milkvetch (Astragalus nuttallianus) (6.3%). Grasshoppers (Acrididae) comprised the bulk (47.6%) of the insect food.

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