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California quail (Callipepla californica)

California quail is a non-native ground-feeding bird detected as a pest in the Perth Hills, Western Australia. Flocks feed on seeds and plant material and may affect crops or gardens, so sightings should be reported and managed with local biosecurity advice.

Key facts

Type: Pest animal, bird.

Native to: Western North America, including California and Baja California.

Established in: QLD, NSW, VIC, TAS, SA, WA.

Other names: California valley quail, Valley quail.

Best time to act: Search early in the morning when groups are active, and arrange approved control promptly after a sighting is confirmed.

Identification

  • A plump, ground-dwelling quail that often moves in groups.
  • Both sexes have a distinctive forward-curving black plume on the head.
  • Males have a dark face and throat edged with white, a grey breast and a chestnut belly patch.
  • Females are generally browner, with a shorter plume and less distinct facial markings.
  • Look-alike: At a distance, it may be confused with native brown or stubble quail, but the California quail's prominent curved head plume is distinctive.

Where it lives

Where present in Australia, it favours open grassy areas, scrub, woodland edges and farmland with nearby cover.

Why it matters

  • It feeds on seeds, leaves and insects, and flock foraging may damage crops, gardens or planted areas.
  • Where abundant, it may compete with native ground-feeding birds for food and cover.

How it spreads

  • Quail can move between feeding and sheltering areas on foot or by short flights.
  • People can spread the species by transporting or releasing live birds; do not release captive birds.

Control methods

  • Confirm the identification and report sightings to the relevant state or territory biosecurity agency for advice.
  • Use humane trapping or other approved physical removal methods only where permitted and with appropriate advice.
  • Check local rules before any control action, and use a suitably authorised operator if required.
  • Recheck the site after removal and continue monitoring for birds or signs of their return.

Site hygiene and welfare

  • Do not transport live birds, and prevent captive birds from escaping or being released.
  • Keep feed securely stored and clean equipment used around feed or bird-holding areas before moving it to another site.
  • Use methods set out in the national model codes of practice and standard operating procedures for the species.
  • Coordinate control with neighbours and the local government biosecurity plan, as isolated effort is quickly undone by reinvasion.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: General biosecurity duty. Not prohibited matter in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Declared animal. Declared animals have legal restrictions, which can cover keeping, moving, selling and releasing them, and landowners may be required to control them.
  • Western Australia: Declared pest (C1), prohibited. C1 Exclusion: to be kept out of WA, or out of the parts of WA where it is not established. Report any sighting to DPIRD. It must not be brought into WA (prohibited organism).
  • Tasmania: Not a declared pest. Not a declared pest or prohibited matter in Tasmania. Importing animals is still controlled by Biosecurity Tasmania.
  • Northern Territory: Prohibited entrant. Wildlife that is not native to the NT is a prohibited entrant, so you need an NT permit to bring it in or keep it. Report any wild sighting to the NT Government.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Queensland: Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), administered by Biosecurity Queensland (13 25 23)
  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources