California quail (we call them "valley quail" to distinguish them from Mountain Quail, a different species) need a consistent water source to survive. They can't make it on water in food like some species can. And yes, fire ants decimate them too. Hope they "take" in TX as they have in parts of South and Central America. I wonder if trying Gambel's Quail, their desert relative, wouldn't have been a better choice?
My first thought. Why not Gambel's?
