Chris Naftel took this picture at his house in Bear Valley Springs of a male California quail and a male western fence lizard as they each used the identical rock as a vantage level on a latest spring day.
California Quail Cocks (Callipepla californica) typically use fence posts, stumps, and rocks to function sentinel responsibility spots, whereas retaining their eyes open for potential threats to themselves, their mates, and their younger.
Quail have to be continually on their guard as they’ve many predators together with hawks, bobcats, snakes, coyotes, and many others. Like cottontails, bobwhite quail are thought-about a major meals supply and are among the many most well-liked prey species for a lot of hunters within the oak. forests, overgrown foothills and grasslands the place quail are discovered.
For the Western Fence Lizard (Sceleporous occidentalis, generally referred to as Bluebellies), having a vantage level is commonly extra about being seen and expecting potential lizard rivals, quite than recognizing potential predators.
Being uncovered on a rock, log, or fence publish is dangerous for a lizard, particularly in relation to threats from aerial predators like kestrels or booby shrikes. Nevertheless, males wish to be seen by potential feminine mates, in addition to promote their presence to different males, in order that they typically hunt down a outstanding basking spot, particularly through the spring breeding season.
This quail and lizard are pleasant and, after all, don’t pose a menace to one another.
The Nuwä (Kawaiisu or Southern Paiute) phrase for quail is taara, pronounced with a rolled “r” sound to imitate the wingbeat of a quail, and the phrase for blue-bellied lizard is wogosinazi, pronounced WOH. -goh-sin-nahz.
