Description

Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New World quail are placed in the family Odontophoridae. Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Galliformes Quails are very small birds that belong to the pheasant and partridge species. There are around 20 different species of quail found around the world, and 70 domestic quails are kept as poultry birds. A quail’s length can only reach 4.5 to 7.8 inches. It weighs 2.4 to 4.9 ounces. Their wingspan can reach up to 32 to 35 centimeters. Although they have long pointed wings, they are able to fly only short distances. Different quail species can be very different in color, size, and their adapted environment. A certain species of quails have a topknot (also called plume), on the top of their heads that is shaped like a teardrop. Habitat and Diet:

Features:

The have a distinctive body shape with a small stocky body and long pointed wings. They have streaked and buffed feathers in either blue, black, brown, cream, or white color. Colors and arrangement of feathers have a scale-like pattern. Quails have long and strong legs that are brown in color. The lower parts of their bodies have a warm, buffy orange color. The wings and the back of the chick are a pale brown in color. The back have four brown stripes running along their length. The breast feathers of the male show off a uniform dark reddish-brown color that is devoid of any dark spots. While the female’s breast feathers are littered with dark spots among generally pale feathers. The cheek feathers of the female are more cream colored, but the male’s cheek feathers are reddish-brown. Sometimes, some males also exhibit the formation of a white collar, but this doesn’t occur in any female Japanese quail.

Behavior 

The Japanese quail is mainly a ground-living species that tends to stay within the areas of dense vegetation in order to take cover and evade predation. Natural habitats of these birds include bushes along the banks of rivers, grassy fields, and agricultural fields that have been planted with crops such as rice, barley and oats. Plumage of the adult Japanese quail is different depending on the gender, allowing for differing male and females from one another. Quails live in woodlands, croplands, and open spaces that are covered with bushes such as grasslands and farmlands. They originated from North America but can also be found across Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa, and South America. Wild Japanese quail species live in Russia, East Asia, and other parts of Africa. Quails inhabit the same area for almost all of their lives – most of them do not migrate. Quails are ground dwellers. Quails are omnivores, although 95% of their diet is composed of plant matter. They eat mainly grass seeds and berries.