This is Bird Note.

With silver, gold, and copper-toned plumage,

Gamble's quail have every reason to strut their stuff on the trails of the Sonoran Desert.

But their fancy headdress would fit right in at the Met Gala.

Both males and females look like they've got a large, inky black comma poised atop the crown of their heads.

Their grassland relatives, the California quail, have them too.

For both species, this decorative top knot is formed from six individual feathers

that contour together into a single structure that appears to bounce lightly with each step.

And these are hardly the only quail with a fancy updo.

In the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains,

the mountain quail displays two long and wispy black head plumes

that stick straight up when the bird is alert.

In the deserts of northwestern Mexico, the elegant quail sports a shock of coppery feathers

like a fire atop the bird's head.

Scaled quail, named for the almost reptilian pattern of their breast feathers, don't have a top knot per se, but they do have a modest crest with a flash of white, earning them the nickname Cotton Tops.

It's hard to say why each of these species evolved such elaborate head feathers.

Perhaps they help quail attract a mate and intimidate other suitors.

But whatever the intended purpose, these birds are ready for even the fanciest functions.

For Bird Note, I'm Ariana Rimmel.