A-Z Challenge – U is for Upland Game Bird

---

Upland Game Birds are a select species of birds in the Phasianidae family with the exception of the Northern Bobwhite and Scaled Quail that are in the Odontophoridae family, plus the Plain Chachalaca in the Cracidae family. All these birds have similarities to chickens and are hunted for their meat. Partridges, Pheasant and Grouse are part of this select group. Included in this list of birds considered Exotic Game Birds are Guineafowl and Peacocks.

We once had a Helmeted Guineafowl show up in our neighborhood that was noisy! A real loud noisy pain in the you know what. She was calling to her mate that never showed up. She laid 24 eggs in one of our flower beds but they were never fertilized by a male. We got new neighbors about 2 1/2 months later and within a week, that bird had disappeared and has never been seen again. The new family was not from the United States.

I only have two of these Upland Game Birds to share today. The Northern Bobwhite (Quail) & Wild Turkey. The feature image is the same Northern Bobwhite as in the below photo, but he was calling to other quail nearby.

---

Northern Bobwhite

The Northern Bobwhite is a small quail with a short crest on the head. This male was calling to 2 other birds that we never spotted. I have to wonder if they were both female. The calls were the same. It was because this bird was calling, we spotted it high in this pine tree at the entrance of Okefenokee Wildlife Management in Folkston, Georgia. The females look the same but are duller in color. Their face is more cream colored than white like the male.

---

Wild Turkey

Gobble Gobble! This Tom would make any Thanksgiving table look great! Looks like he had other things on his mind from this photo. Normally, there are several females to one male. The male breeds multiple mates and form all-male flocks outside of breeding season, leaving the females to raise the chicks. When they are threatened, the females tend to fly away while the male runs through the woods, rather than fly. Such typical 1950’s manly behavior! Guess they have never heard of equality.

---

This is my first time participating in April Blogging from A-Z Challenge. As a birder and photographer, I will be sharing a new bird with you every day. I host a weekly photo challenge called Bird Weekly and would love for you to stop by anytime. Join in if that is your thing too.

---