Fine-Feathered Friend

Henrietta has an identity problem. The 4-year-old California quail thinks he’s people.

Despite his name, Henrietta is a he, not a she. When he was a baby, Edward Cenis, the Spokane man who became his father or mother figure, thought he was a female, but more about that later.

Henrietta, wings flapping and feet churning, chases his buddy, Maggie, a Belgian shepherd, around Cenis’ house and Maggie chases him. Once in a while, Maggie gets a mouthful of quail tail.

This bird is not a teetotaler. He occasionally takes a beakful of beer and wine. And he joins Cenis every night in a drink of Canadian whiskey. Another bad habit: He likes to eat cigarettes.

Cenis feeds him bird seed and meal worms, but Henrietta also likes lettuce, scrambled eggs, grapefruit, steak and venison. Strangely, he likes to gorge himself with Kleenex.

Henrietta once saw another California quail through a window of Cenis’ house, but he didn’t know what it was.

His jet black top knot rises and he utters what he thinks is quail talk when he hears quail during a western movie on TV. Because many westerns were filmed where quail live, the birds occasionally can be heard in the background.

Henrietta still doesn’t know quail language. His chirpings sometimes sound like he’s a warbler.

To Cenis and his nephew, Phil Cunningham, who has lived with Cenis the last couple of months, Henrietta is a character. He’s good for a few belly laughs several times a week.

It’s no wonder Cenis quit hunting after Henrietta stole his heart. Cenis once hunted everything from elk to geese and quail, but he says he’ll never hunt again. All because of Henrietta, whom he calls “Sweetie.”.

Cenis thought Henrietta was a female when the quail was no bigger than a sparrow. As Henrietta matured, Cenis learned that the quail was a male.

Cenis called Henrietta “she” for so long he decided not to shorten his name to Henry or change it. Anyway, Henrietta knows his name and comes a running when he’s called. Cenis and Cunningham always refer to him as “she.”

When Henrietta became part of the Cenis household, he started following people around, a habit that almost cost him a leg. He once made the mistake of trying to follow a visitor into the bathroom. The visitor closed the door on one of his legs, almost severing it.

Cenis took Henrietta to a veterinarian, who inserted a pin in the injured leg. For six weeks, Cenis hand-fed the bird and kept him in a big cardboard box. To this day, Henrietta won’t go near a big box.

After Henrietta recovered, he again became part of the family. He apparently regards Cenis, Cunningham and Maggie as part of his covey and, like all male quail, he’s protective of his domain. So, he attacks strangers.

His attacks amount to pecking shoes and sometimes flying onto the invader’s shoulder to peck his or her neck or ears. Inasmuch as Henrietta weighs in at only about 6 ounces, the pecks aren’t life-threatening.

He and Maggie play a lot, chasing each other around the house. When they’re tired, Henrietta sometimes sleeps between Maggie’s paws.

Maggie tolerates some indignities inflicted by Henrietta, but she draws a line when it comes to her toys. Pecking one of her tennis balls is a no-no and she quickly stops the mischievous quail.

Henrietta doesn’t have the run of the house. The kitchen is off limits. Because Henrietta flies up on everything, Cenis fears he’ll land on a hot plate and burn his legs.

“When I say ‘Out,’ she gets out fast,” Cenis said.

Henrietta can come into the bathroom, but he’s watched carefully. He once fell into the toilet bowl and nearly drowned.

Cenis never lets Henrietta out of the house. He’s afraid cats will kill him.

Cenis never tried to house-break Henrietta, but the bird decided early that it would relieve itself in one spot, a place that is easily cleaned. Once in a while, though, Henrietta makes a mistake.

Henrietta shows affection in many ways. He likes to sleep for a few minutes on Cenis’ back just before he flies up to the top of the China closet to spend the night. He likes to be cuddled in Cenis’ hands.

Henrietta’s favorite color is red. He prefers his beer and Coke out of a red can and he loves red cabbage. He often lies on a red table mat.

Fortunately for him, he’s quick on his feet. He’s got to be because, when guests invade his territory, he’s always around their feet, pecking their shoes. Guests sometimes forget he’s there and don’t look for him when they move. But he moves quickly just before a foot comes down on him.

A quail’s life span is about six years. A few quail have lived longer in captivity. Henrietta is 4 years old, so he’s got about two more years. Naturally, Cenis hopes he’ll be around for a few more years.

As for Henrietta, it’s sometimes difficult to tell whether the quail owns Cenis and Cunningham or whether the men own the quail.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: You can contact Fenton Roskelley by voice mail at 459-5577, extension 3814.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Fenton Roskelley The Spokesman-Review