The family Odontophoridae includes 6 species found in North America.

Quail are small, compact birds, with a short, stout bill. The head is often crested. Plumage is usually brightly marked with brown, buff, yellow, reddish, gray, black and white. Sexes differ in plumage in most species. Food is mainly seeds and insects.

New World quail are monogamous. They lay 4-15 white or brown-spotted eggs. Nests are usually on the ground in a shallow depression lined with grass, leaves, etc., usually concealed in grass, often next to a rock, log or base of a tree. Gambel's Quail builds a lined nest often under vegetation so as to be shaded at midday or, occasionally, up to 10 feet above the ground in an old nest of a Roadrunner, thrasher or Cactus Wren. The Montezuma Quail builds a well-constructed nest in a shallow depression roofed and overhung with grass. The California Quail usually nests on the ground next to a log or rock but occasionally up to 10 feet high in a bush or tree.