Plump and quail-like with short legs and tail, stubby wings, and squat structure. Adult male has white throat and long white supercilium; head is otherwise black except rufous-tinged crown. Underparts and back are bright rufous, darker blackish in Florida, with white streaks on flanks and white-spotted belly. Wings are intricately and cryptically patterned in black, gray, and brown. Adult female is similar, with cream-colored throat and supercilium, and fine black barring on rufous underparts. Males of isolated population in Southeast Arizona are clean rufous underneath with entirely black head.

Length: 25 (cm) Wingspan: 33 (cm)

Voice:

Song is a loud, whistled bob-WHITE; also various clicking, clucking, and harsh calls.

Habitat:

Open fields, farmland, agricultural areas, hedgerows, dry woodlands.

Behavior:

Found in pairs (summer) or coveys of about a dozen birds (winter). Roost by night in tight, huddled groups, facing outward. Nest is a ground scrape lined with fine materials. Popularly hunted game bird.

Feeding:

Forages on ground, pecking at seeds, grains, nuts, fruit, leaves, and occasional insects. Sometimes eats spilled seed from bird feeders.