I caught this Quail running from me in a small wash out in the desert. I think they are cool looking but strange with them wanting to run instead of flying. If I were a bird I would fly.. Anyway if your wondering why they run there wings are adapted for explosive, short flights. They also forage under shrubs, and such a habitat is often very dense. So running through that habitat, or running from open spaces to hide under shrubs seems an advantage, rather than first flying and potentially hitting branches. That cool thing on there head is called a plume or top-knot. The topknot looks like a single feather, but it is actually a cluster of six overlapping plumes. The black plume on male quails has a forward arch that bobs up and down when it walks, while the female quail's plume is much shorter.
