Photographic confirmation of scaled quail in Ellis County

Abstract

In June 2013, during the course of wildlife surveys at the
Packsaddle Wildlife Management area in Ellis County, two Scaled Quail
(Callipepla squamata) were observed and photographed. The species
occurs in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, and into the southwestern
corner of Oklahoma; Ellis County is outside the currently recognized
distribution of the species in Oklahoma. We review the historical status
of Scaled Quail in Oklahoma, much of it from undocumented sources. Our
observation represents, at least, the βirst conβirmed record of this species
in Ellis County. While we cannot exclude the potential of local releases,
these birds may have dispersed from populations in the adjacent Texas
Panhandle.