Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Gambel's Quail Painting by Barbara Rudolph



"The Quails"

This is a new oil painting of a family of "Gambel Quail".  It was a commission from my last art show.  We have lots of these "birds" in the desert southwest.  I often get the "quail" in my backyard and they are fun to watch.   The male "Gambel quail" will always be close by standing guard over the family.

The "Gambel's quail are found almost exclusively in the southwestern United States, mainly in Arizona.  Their range extends into Mexico and east to parts of Texas, west to California and a small part of southern Utah, Nevada and Colorado.

This oil painting is 12 x 9" 

Here is a little information about the "Gambel's quail"  from the desert museum:

Gambel's quail (Callipepla gambelii) have a chunky round body with a feather plume on their head. Males have a dark and thick plume, a black face, neck and also a black patch on the breast. Females have more dull and thin feather plumes and lack the black markings. Mature males have much more striking plumage than females.

Adaptations
Gambel's quail have the ability to select green foods in sufficient quantity to provide nutrition, but also to obtain the moisture they need. The ability to adapt its food choices to seasonal changes allow it to survive in the arid desert environment.
Habitat
Gambel's Quail live in warm deserts with brushy and thorny vegetation. These birds also survive well in cultivated communities and prefer mesquite lined river valleys and drainage's near these lands. Desert mountain foothills, mesquite springs, plains with diverse vegetation and any area of the desert receiving slightly more rainfall than surrounding parts, are all home to good populations of Gambel's quail.


Barbara Rudolph
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