- 1). Find a quail habitat. Quail live in the fringe areas around cities in the Arizona deserts and in the desert itself. The Sonoran Desert provides a rich habitat for quail since vegetation is plentiful and lush. Parks that ring the cities in Arizona like Lost Dutchman's State Park just east of Phoenix or the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum near Tucson have high populations of quail native to Arizona.
- 2). Wait for temperatures to warm. The eggs do not hatch until temperatures warm up in the deserts of Arizona to 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, typically in late May and early June. Mearn's quail do not breed until mid to late June in the oak savannas and woodlands in southeastern Arizona. Of the types of quail, the Mearn's are the most difficult to see because they live entirely on the ground in tall grasses; this breed cannot fly.
- 3). Look for mature quail pairs. Quail are primarily ground dwellers and only fly when they perceive danger. Quail move quickly on the ground and usually travel in pairs. After the eggs hatch, the whole family travels as a unit, with the babies following closely behind. Baby quail have downy feathers and move nearly as quickly as their parents on the ground. Newly hatched quail are about 1 inch high. Gambel quail hatchlings have black or dark brown stripes that run horizontally down their backs, separated by white stripes. Scaled and Mearn's quail babies have similar stripes, but the colors are tan, white and light yellow. Scaled baby quail develop white tufts at the top of their heads, while the Gambel's quail grow black tufts. Mearn's quail have no tufts.
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