The breeding season for California quail runs from early spring through to late summer in the Okanagan, and the birds can be seen in various stages of the process, from sitting on eggs to leading their flocks of fuzzy chicks around.

The birds are a unique and species adored by many in the Okanagan Valley, with their round, chicken-like bodies and comical topknots on their heads.

Their breeding season begins in early spring with the males staking out mating territories and doing elaborate courtship displays where they puff up their chests, droop their wings and make loud vocalizations while strutting, according to birdful.org. Interested females will respond by crouching down submissively.

iN PHOTOS: Beloved California quail having babies in the Okanagan | iNFOnews.ca — A mother quail trots along a fence in Vernon. SUBMITTED/Loekie Vanderwal

Females search for a nesting site which is typically a shallow depression hidden in the undergrowth and lines it with grass and feathers. She lays an egg per day, upwards of 18 per clutch, and begins incubating them after the last egg is laid.

Roughly three weeks later, the brood hatches and the female leads them around showing them how to find food like insects, seeds and vegetation.

Native to the southwestern U.S. the birds were introduced as game birds to B.C. in the 19th century and are largely confined to the Okanagan. In the past several years, the there have been quail sightings in the Shuswap.