Ladies First
The courting call of Montezuma Quail is as inconspicuous as the bird itself. Descending whistles emanate from within grassy woodlands, announcing that spring has come to the mountain foothills of southeast Arizona. It’s not easy to catch a glimpse of these elusive quail, either. Intricate markings of both sexes provide exquisite camouflage, creating the male’s harlequin pattern and the female’s delicate cloak of buff and umber. They do not readily flush when disturbed, but slip away into cover or crouch immobile until danger has passed. At dawn, the male keeps sentry as his lady sips from a rivulet.
COLLECTIONS:
Permanent Collection of the Art Institute of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Description: Montezuma Quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) and Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex maricopa)
Medium: Transparent Watercolor
Size: 14.5” w x 21” h
Original: SOLD
Archival Print: $350.00
