Game Birds in Arizona
    Here is detailed information on the game birds of Arizona, click on the names for more information.

Gambel's Quail (Lophortyx Gambelii) Oct 7, 2005 - Feb 6, 2006 More Information on Gambel's Quail Click Here

Mearns Quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae mearnsi) Nov 18, 2005 - Feb 6, 2006 More Information on Mearns Quail Click Here

Merriam's Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo merriami) General<br> Oct , 2005<br><br> Juniors Only<br> Oct , 2 More Information on Merriam's Turkey Click Here

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) Early season opens Sept and late season opens Nov, 2005 More Information on Mourning Dove Click Here

Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata) Oct 7, 2005 - Feb 6, 2006 More Information on Scaled Quail Click Here

White Winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) Sep, 2005 More Information on White Winged Dove Click Here

Merriam's Turkey
    Merriam's turkey are found throughout the Western United States primarily in the ponderosa pine forests of Colorado, New Mexico, and northern Arizona. They have been transplanted into the pine forests of Utah, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota. Merriam turkey can be found not only in ponderosa pine forest but also other vegetation types in elevations ranging from 3,500 to 10,000 feet. In Arizona, they are found in much of the ponderosa pine forest north of the Gila River.

Quail
    Arizona has three species of quail, the Gambel’s or desert quail is by far the best known. Found in most of the state’s counties, these birds are often hunted in open desert country where they are more apt to run or flush than hold for a dog. The Gambel’s jaunty, plumed topknot, carried by both sexes, makes for ready identification, along with the male’s bright russet cap, black face and bib, and cream-colored belly marked with a black horseshoe. As with all species of quail, the young of the year can be distinguished through their first winter by their spotted secondary wing coverts. Adult males average only about 6 ounces; the slightly smaller females between 5.7 and 5.9 ounces.

Sandhill Crane
    A portion of three distinct populations of sandhill cranes winter in Arizona. Cranes from both the Rocky Mountain (RM) and mid-Continent (M-C) populations winter in the Sulphur Springs and Gila River valleys of southeastern Arizona. Sandhills from the Lower Colorado River Valley (LCRV) population winter along the lower Colorado River, primarily on the Colorado River Indian Reservation and Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, and below Gillespie dam on the Gila River. RM cranes nest primarily in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. LCRV cranes nest primarily in northeastern Nevada. The nesting range of the M-C encompasses most of Canada and Alaska. The M-C population migrates through the central plains, staging on the Platte River both spring and fall, to wintering grounds in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico.

Mourning Dove
     This is the most common and widely occurring game bird in Arizona, and the dove’s trim, streamlined body, accentuated by its tiny head and sharply tapered tail is familiar to even the most casual observer of birds. This dove can also be differentiated from its white-winged cousin by its overall brown color, a lack of white on all but the outer tail feathers, the presence of black spots on the upper wing surfaces, and the distinctive rattling whistle that is emitted by the bird’s wing feathers when it takes flight. The more richly colored adult males can usually be distinguished at all times of the year from the browner females by their pinkish rose breasts, flecks of metallic green and other iridescence on the napes of their necks, and their slate blue crowns. Adult males weigh about 4.3 ounces, females about 4 ounces, with an occasional male weighing up to 6 ounces. Juvenile birds can be identified up to 4 or 5 months of age by the white tipping on the margins of their wing feathers

White-winged Dove
    This bird’s hefty size and rounded off tail give the “white-wing” the appearance of being half dove and half pigeon, hence the older name of “Sonora pigeon.” Whitewings differ from the more widespread mourning dove in having an overall grayer plumage, a white-tipped tail, and the white wing epaulets that give the bird its name. Unless pressed by gunners, the whitewing’s flight also appears slower, less purposeful, and more pigeonlike than the mourning dove’s. Adults can be distinguished by an unfeathered bright blue eye patch, red feet, and eyes that range from yellow-orange to orange-red. By way of contrast, birds of the year have dull purplishbrown feet and are marked mostly in grays, whites, and browns. Adult males are especially handsome birds, their brownish heads crowned in reddish purple with areas on the neck flecked with gold, green, and purple iridescence. The average weight of an adult male is about 5.5 ounces, although birds weighing up to 8 ounces have been recorded.

Pheasant
    Several attempts have been made to establish these natives of Asia as resident game birds in Arizona, the most recent being in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the small white-winged race of the ring-necked pheasant found in Afghanistan was released in farmlands along the Gila, San Pedro, and other river valleys. A handsome, unmistakable bird, both sexes of this pheasant have long pointed tails, but it is the cocks or roosters that are unrivaled in their plumage. Possessing iridescent green heads offset by ear-tufts and a crimson-wattled cheek patch, the rooster also has a purplish chest, a soot-colored belly, distinctively dotted golden flanks, white wing epaulets, and a handsomely barred tail. Cocks usually weigh more than 2.5 pounds, while the beige- and sand-colored hens average between 1.5 and 2 pounds. Both sexes, but especially the males, typically give a cackle on being flushed that once heard is always remembered.

Waterfowl Species