[3][4] There are seven recognized subspecies: The California quail is a highly sociable bird that often gathers in small flocks known as "coveys".

A group of quail will select an area where the ground has been newly turned or is soft, and using their underbellies, will burrow downward into the soil some one to two inches.

They then wriggle about in the indentations they have created, flapping their wings and ruffling their feathers, causing dust to rise in the air.

An ornithologist is able to detect the presence of quail in an area by spotting the circular indentations left behind in the soft dirt, some 7–15 cm (2.8–5.9 in) in diameter.

They were originally found mainly in the southwestern United States but they have been introduced into other areas including British Columbia, Hawaii, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, South Africa, New Zealand, and to Norfolk Island and King Island in Australia.

Often, families group together, into multifamily "communal broods" which include at least two females, multiple males and many offspring.

Local birders named the male bird Ishi after the last known member of California's Native American Yahi tribe.