To all the Mountain Quail experts!

[Pheasant]

Hello everyone,
I need help sexing my mountain quail!! The quail is 3 almost 4 months old. It does this call once in a while (as demonstrated in the video). I'm thinking because of this call it is a male! Please help!! Thanks!!

 

[Pennae]

if i know anything of quails it sounds like a boy
jap quail and bob whites etc the males are noisy

 

[Tony K T]

If you look at the back of their neck,the female has brown while the males is blue.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[Pheasant]

The problem is that the quail is 3 months old and still does not feather out completely. I thought that by this call it could be sexed! Thanks Tony!

 

[Pheasant]

Thanks Pennae! I heard that both sexes of these quail have similar calls, but that information might be wrong. I just wondered if this particular call was specific to males.

 

[Ntsees]

Both males and females are able to make the same calls. It's still a little young so it's kind of difficult to tell if it's a male or female. You'll have to let it fully feather out first. Looks like you got a feisty one there - showing aggression towards you. One of my first mountains was like that to me; it tried to chase me whenever I turned my back towards it.

 

[Pheasant]

Thank you Ntsees! Yeah I think time will tell what I have! Is there any signs besides the color of the back of the neck that can help with sexing? It is a feisty one at times, but the majority time it's a tame and curious quail that loves treats right out of my hand! Also thank you for the YouTube response!

 

[Ntsees]

As Tony K T pointed out, males tend to have more blue and females tend to have brown running up along the the back side of its neck. But then again, there are variations to that since some males also have some of that brown too and are mistaken for females.

Whenever I try to sex my mountains, I look at 4 things:

1) the behavoir: the males in general tend to be cocky and have a bulky neck and chest area (http://www.efinch.com/birdpix/mountcall.jpg)

2) the amount of brown running along the back of the neck to the back of the head as describe above (http://flickrhivemind.net/blackmagi...w.flickr.com/photos/35932167@N02/3323577316); notice again that the male is more bulkier in the neck region compared to the female

3) before and during the breeding season, the white vertical stripes in the maroon colored side of the bird are different. The male's stripes are short whereas the females are long and slender (http://ibc.lynxeds.com/video/mountain-quail-oreortyx-pictus/two-birds-walking-ground)

4) and last but not least, I listen to their rally calls. Although males and females can make the same calls, the female's voice is different from the male's (its like you can tell the difference between a man and a woman's voice).

 

[Pheasant]

Thank you so much for all the information! I will definitely look for these characteristics when the quail gets older! I have noticed that the feathers directly behind its head plume and the ones running down the back of its neck are all most completely brown I will try to post some pictures and see if it helps.

 

[Pheasant]

Hello again everyone,
My mountain quail is almost completely feathered out and I managed to take some somewhat decent pictures of the back of its neck. From what I can tell it looks like a female. Ntsees what do you think? All other suggestions are greatly appreciated!