![]() Quails prefer the cover of underbrush and shrubbery, and Ishi is known to hide among the brambles of Golden Gate Park's Botanical Garden.Īssmann, who speaks of Ishi like a friend, describes the bird as equal parts "lonely," "vocal" and "street smart." 16, and a handful of other birders have spotted him earlier in the year.Įven if you know where to look for him, says Assmann, the bird can be hard to find. The bird's last reported sighting was as recent as Oct. Ishi is not totally solitary, however, as a fleet of local birdwatchers, including Assmann, keeps tabs on him throughout the year. No quail has been seen in the Presidio since 2008. According to birdwatcher and former deputy director of San Francisco's Department of the Environment, David Assmann, Ishi has been on his own for at least two years now, and before then, there was only a smattering of quails – the population peaked at about 25 in the 2000s – in Golden Gate Park and the Presidio. ![]() Ishi has never known the companionship of a robust covey, even before he was the last known quail in San Francisco. The striking creatures are social ones, and they prefer the company and protection of group life. ![]() The study goes on to cite cats as "likely the single greatest source of anthropogenic mortality for US birds and mammals."Įlsewhere in California and the Bay Area, like Marin and the East Bay Regional Parks, quails are flocking together by the dozens to form coveys for the winter months. Other wildlife experts interviewed for this story backed up Margulis' theory.įelines, whether domesticated or not, are hardwired to pounce, Margulis said, and they don't distinguish between pigeons and treasured bird species.Ī 2013 Smithsonian study estimated that free-ranging domestic cats kill between 1.4 billion to 3.7 billion birds annually, and attributed the animals to multiple wildlife extinctions on islands. Margulis cites the domestic animals, in conjunction with habitat destruction, as the reasons quails first faltered in San Francisco, then disappeared nearly altogether. "Cats are the dagger," said Cindy Margulis, executive director of the Golden Gate Audubon Society. The ground-dwelling birds are known for their charisma, not their mobility, and a city-slicking bird already has the cards stacked against it, even if it is the official city bird of San Francisco, as the California quail was designated in 2001.īut, as is true of many localized extinctions, humans are largely at-fault – or rather, their pets are. One brood per year, two in years with good food supply.Ishi's sorrowful call will likely never be returned by a female mate. Young can fly short distances at age of 10 days but are not full grown until later. Both parents tend young, with female often brooding them when small, male perching high and acting as sentinel young feed themselves. One brood per year, two in years with good food supply.ĭowny young leave nest within a day after hatching. Young: Downy young leave nest within a day after hatching. Incubation is by female only, about 18-23 days. Two females sometimes lay eggs in same nest. Dull white to pale buff, variably marked with brown. In neighborhoods with good plant cover, comes into yards to eat grain or birdseed.ġ0-16, usually 13-14. Along roads, may feed on acorns that have been cracked open by passing cars. Forages mostly by picking up items from ground, often scratching on ground, and picking leaves from plants.
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