Bringing Back the California Quail
We’re exploring how to bring the official state bird back to the Presidio.
The official bird for both the City of San Francisco and the State of California, the species faces long odds as it’s threatened by vehicle traffic, loss of habitat, and even feral cats.
However, as a national park site, the Presidio presents a unique opportunity to turn the trend around. Working with the San Francisco Estuary Institute, the Presidio Trust is studying how the bird might eventually be reintroduced to the Presidio.
The Case for Re-Introduction
The Natural Resources Department at the Presidio Trust has been working with the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) since 2019 to assess the feasibility of reintroducing California Quail to the Presidio. The final report of this partnership, The Case for Quail Reintroduction, is a two-part assessment of the benefits and feasibility of a potential reintroduction effort. This report builds on previous research that indicated the Presidio’s restoration efforts, combined with the return of coyotes, have created favorable conditions for quail. The report helps Presidio wildlife managers assess the best methods for bringing back a beloved species while engaging the public in a successful reintroduction process.
Part 1 of the Case for Quail Reintroduction – Benefits (accessible)
Part 2 of the Case for Quail Reintroduction – Feasibility (accessible)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
California Quail have deep cultural, social, and ecological value to the Presidio. For instance, they’re the state bird as well as the official bird of San Fransico. They’re also important for soil health and seed dispersal. They became extirpated (locally extinct) relatively recently – around 2008 – so there are many local residents and visitors who remember them and associate quail with a sense of place in the Presidio.
They disappeared due to a combination of factors, including habitat loss and degradation, isolation and inbreeding, feral cat predation, other nest predators, and vehicle collisions. Many of these sources of mortality or stress have been reduced by park restoration efforts over the past decades as well as the return of coyotes (which eat many quail predators). These restoration efforts continue and ongoing threats to the California Quail will be addressed as part of the reintroduction effort and management strategies.
While there are many challenges to returning California Quail to the Presidio, especially since it will be the first urban California Quail reintroduction, the restoration work in the Presidio has created favorable conditions for California Quail reintroduction. We plan to reintroduce the quail in phases with the initial phases offering learning opportunities for our continued management efforts. But we know that even an established California Quail population in the Presidio will likely need ongoing management to prevent inbreeding and increase connectivity in the long term, and we plan to provide that management.
The specifics of the reintroduction process are still being planned, but the goal is to capture and move entire coveys (flocks of related individuals) of wild California Quail from nearby populations to the Presidio to preserve social cohesion and maximize the likelihood of a successful reintroduction. Source populations will be selected based on health and abundance so that removing a covey for reintroduction should not negatively impact the overall population.
The project is currently in a planning phase, which will continue until fall or winter of 2024. The goal is to start the reintroduction process in 2025, which will likely take two to five years for the initial establishment. The first few years will involve trialing methods to improve the reintroduction approach.
The San Francsico Estuary Institute has worked with the Presidio to produce reports on the feasibility and benefits of California Quail reintroduction. The Presidio will continue to engage partners as part of the planning process for the reintroduction and to envision broader connectivity for the California Quail populations across the Bay Area. We’re actively seeking partners to implement this project. If you’re interested in learning more, contact Presidio Wildlife Ecologist Phoebe Parker-Shames.
There are several behaviors we can practice now that will help support quail once they’re returned to the Presidio. For example, 1. We can make sure to keep cats indoors and dogs on leash and out of wildlife habitats, particularly scrub and areas with low vegetation that birds use for nesting or cover.
2. The presence of coyotes is associated with successful quail populations, so we can also support healthy California Quail populations by promoting coyote coexistence strategies (see the Coyotes in the Presidio page for more information).
3. Finally, everyone should practice driving slowly through the Presidio and obeying posted speed limits while staying alert for wildlife crossing roads.
As California Quail return to the Presidio, we’ll engage the public to assist in our monitoring efforts. Stay tuned for more opportunities as the project progresses.