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Old World quail is a collective name for several
Old World quail is a collective name for several genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
of mid-sized bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
s in the tribe Coturnicini
Coturnicini is a tribe of birds in the subfamily Phasianinae. It contains the Old World quail, snowcocks, and African spurfowl, among others. Members of this tribe have a wide range throughout Africa, Eurasia, and Australasia. This tribe conta ...
of the pheasant
Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia ...
family Phasianidae
The Phasianidae are a family of heavy, ground-living birds, which includes pheasants, partridges, junglefowl, chickens, turkeys, Old World quail, and peafowl. The family includes many of the most popular gamebirds. The family is a large one ...
. Although all species commonly referred to as "Old World quail" are in the same tribe, they are paraphyletic
In taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In ...
with respect to the other members of the tribe, such as ''Alectoris
''Alectoris'' is a genus of partridges in the family Phasianidae, closely related to Old World quail ('' Coturnix'' and relatives), snowcocks ('' Tetraogallus''), partridge-francolins ('' Pternistis''), bush quail (''Perdicula''), and sand and ...
, Tetraogallus'', ''Ammoperdix
''Ammoperdix'' is a small genus in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes. It contains two similar species:
* See-see partridge, ''Ammoperdix griseogularis''
* Sand partridge, ''Ammoperdix heyi''
The see-see partridge occur ...
'', '' Margaroperdix'', and ''Pternistis
''Pternistis'' is a genus of galliform birds formerly classified in the spurfowl group of the Perdicinae, partridge subfamily of the Phasianidae, pheasant family. They are described as "partridge-francolins" in literature establishing their phy ...
''.
New World quail are also found in the Galliformes
Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkeys, chickens, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are ofte ...
, but are not in the same family ( Odontophoridae). Buttonquails are not closely related at all, but are named for their similar appearance. They are presently placed in the family Turnicidae
Buttonquail or hemipodes are members of a small family of birds, Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae. They inhabit warm grasslands in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia. There are 18 species in two genera ...
of the Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes (, from ''Charadrius'', the type genus of family Charadriidae) is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 390 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most charadriiform birds live near water a ...
, classified as shorebirds.
The collective noun
In linguistics, a collective noun is a word referring to a collection of things taken as a whole. Most collective nouns in everyday speech are not specific to one kind of thing. For example, the collective noun "group" can be applied to people (" ...
for a group of quail is '' flock'', ''bevy'' or ''covey''.
Taxonomy
Old World quail may refer to the following species of Coturnicini: *Genus '' Synoicus'' ** Brown quail, ''Synoicus ypsilophorus'' **Snow Mountain quail
The Snow Mountain quail (''Synoicus monorthonyx''), is a large, approximately 28 cm (11 in) long, dark brown quail of alpine grasslands. It was formerly considered the only member of the genus ''Anurophasis'', but phylogenetic analysis ...
, ''Synoicus monorthonyx''
** Blue quail, ''Synoicus adansonii''
** King quail, ''Synoicus chinensis''
*Genus '' Coturnix''
** Rain quail, ''Coturnix coromandelica''
** Harlequin quail, ''Coturnix delegorguei''
** Common quail, ''Coturnix coturnix''
**† Canary Islands quail, ''Coturnix gomerae'' (fossil)
**Japanese quail
The Japanese quail (''Coturnix japonica''), also known as the coturnix quail, is a species of Old World quail found in East Asia. First considered a subspecies of the common quail, it is now considered as a separate species. The Japanese quail ...
, ''Coturnix japonica''
**†New Zealand quail
The New Zealand quail (''Coturnix novaezelandiae''), or ''koreke'' in Māori, is an extinct quail species endemic to New Zealand. The male and female were similar, except the female was lighter. The first scientist to describe it was Sir Jose ...
, ''Coturnix novaezelandiae'' (extinct)
** Stubble quail, ''Coturnix pectoralis''
*Genus ''Perdicula
''Perdicula'' is a small genus of quail in the family Phasianidae, containing four species that are collectively known as the bush quails.
Taxonomy
The generic name ''Perdicula'' is a Modern Latin diminutive of the genus ''Perdix'', and means ...
''
** Jungle bush quail, ''Perdicula asiatica''
**Rock bush quail
The rock bush quail (''Perdicula argoondah'') is a species of quail found in parts of peninsular India. It is a common species with a wide range and the IUCN has rated it as being of "least concern".
Taxonomy and systematics
There are three re ...
, ''Perdicula argoondah''
**Painted bush quail
The painted bush quail (''Perdicula erythrorhyncha'') is a species of quail found in the hill forests of India. They move in small coveys on hillsides and are distinguished by their red bills and legs. They have a liquid alarm call and small grou ...
, ''Perdicula erythrorhyncha''
** Manipur bush quail, ''Perdicula manipurensis''
*Genus '' Ophrysia''
**Himalayan quail
The Himalayan quail (''Ophrysia superciliosa'') or mountain quail, is a medium-sized quail belonging to the pheasant family. It was last reported in 1876 and is feared extinct. This species was known from only 2 locations (and 12 specimens) in ...
, ''Ophrysia superciliosa'' (critically endangered/extinct)
Behaviour
Old World quail are small, plump terrestrial birds. They areseed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...
eaters, but will also take insect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pa ...
s and similar small prey. They nest on the ground and are capable of short, rapid bursts of flight. Some species, such as the Japanese and common quail, are migratory and fly for long distances.
Some quail are farmed in large numbers. The common
Common may refer to:
Places
* Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
* Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts
* Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts
* Clapham Common, originally ...
and Japanese (or coturnix) quail are both raised for table meat or to produce eggs. They are also readily hunted, often artificially stocked on game farms or to supplement wild populations.
Migrating common quail are known to eat some poisonous seeds with no apparent ill effects but store the poison in their body fat, poisoning people who subsequently eat these birds; this condition is known as " coturnism".Coturnism: Human Poisoning By European Migratory Quail Journal of Cultural Geography Volume 7, Issue 2, 1987, Pages 51 – 65 Authors: David C. Lewisa; Elizabeth Metallinos-Katzarasb; Louis E. Grivettic
References
External links
* {{Phasianidae Coturnicini Quails Bird common names