The gregarious Gambel's quail are plump, volleyball-sized birds that inhabit the southwest desert regions of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, Sonora, the New Mexico-border Chihuahua, and the Colorado River region of Baja California. The 19th-century naturalist and explorer of the Southwestern United States, William Gambel, is the bird’s namesake. Moving primarily by walking quickly through the brush and undergrowth, the Gambel's quail is rarely seen in flight. Pairing off for mating in the spring these birds remain monogamous. In the late summer, fall, and winter, the adults and young gather into coveys of many birds. Usually at the base of a tree or rock, the female conceals its nest, where it lays 10-12 eggs. Within hours after hatching, the chicks leave the nest with their parents.