General Description: Masked Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus ridgwayi) are plump ground birds. Males and females have different plumage. Males have a rufous front, black head and throat, and mottled black-and-rufous crown. The back is a network of black, brown, rufous, and buff. Some males also have a white stripe behind the eye. Females are mottled brown, buff, and white, with a buffy throat and stripe behind the line.

Taxonomy: Galliformes, Odontophoridae

Favored Habitat: Sonoran Desert grasslands.

Where to Find: Don't look for Masked Bobwhite around Las Vegas. Rather, look for them on trips to southern Arizona where they are uncommon but can be found in the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge southwest of Tucson, AZ.

Comments: Masked Bobwhite Quail are an endangered subspecies of the Northern Bobwhite Quail. They were extirpated from their U.S. range by the early 1900s, but they were reintroduced in the 1970s and small numbers survive.