Quail
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Common Quail | ||||||||||
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Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds in the pheasant family Phasianidae, or in the family Odontophoridae. This article deals with the Old World species in the former family.
The New World quails are not closely related, but are named for their similar appearance and behaviour.
The Old World buttonquails are also in a different family Turnicidae, and are not true quails.
The quails are small, plump terrestrial birds. They are seed eaters, but will also take insects and similar small prey. They nest on the ground. They are capable of short, rapid bursts of flight. Some species, including the Japanese and Common Quail, are migratory and fly for long distances.[1]
Some quail are farmed in large numbers. These include Japanese Quail, also commonly known as coturnix quail, mostly kept to produce eggs.
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[edit] Species in taxonomic order
- Genus Coturnix
- Common Quail, Coturnix coturnix
- Japanese Quail, Coturnix japonica
- Stubble Quail, Coturnix pectoralis
- New Zealand Quail, Coturnix novaezelandiae Extinct
- Rain Quail, Coturnix coromandelica
- Harlequin Quail, Coturnix delegorguei
- Brown Quail, Coturnix ypsilophora
- Blue Quail, Coturnix adansonii
- Blue-breasted Quail, Coturnix chinensis
- Genus Anurophasis
- Snow Mountain Quail, Anurophasis monorthonyx
- Genus Perdicula
- Jungle Bush-quail, Perdicula asiatica
- Rock Bush-quail, Perdicula argoondah
- Painted Bush-quail, Perdicula erythrorhyncha
- Manipur Bush-quail, Perdicula manipurensis
- Genus Ophrysia
- Himalayan Quail, Ophrysia superciliosa Critically Endangered/Extinct