The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Quail trap

Old World quail is a collective name for several

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

of mid-sized

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s in the tribe Coturnicini 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's native range is restricted to Eura ...

family

Phasianidae Phasianidae is a family (biology), family of heavy, ground-living birds, which includes pheasants, grouse, partridges, junglefowl, chickens, Turkey bird, turkeys, Old World quail, and peafowl. The family includes many of the most popular Game (hu ...

. Although all species commonly referred to as "Old World quail" are in the same tribe, they are

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

with respect to the other members of the tribe, such as '' Alectoris'', '' Tetraogallus'', '' Ammoperdix'', '' Margaroperdix'', and '' Pternistis''.

New World quail The New World quail are small birds, that despite their similar appearance and habits to the Old World quail, belong to a different family known as the Odontophoridae. In contrast, the Old World quail are in the Phasianidae family, sharing only a ...

are also found in the

Galliformes Galliformes is an order (biology), order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkey (bird), turkeys, chickens, Old World quail, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems ...

, 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 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 ...

, classified as shorebirds. The collective noun 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, ''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, ''Coturnix japonica'' **† New Zealand quail, ''Coturnix novaezelandiae'' (extinct) ** Stubble quail, ''Coturnix pectoralis'' *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)

Behaviour

Old World quail are small, plump terrestrial birds. They are

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

eaters, but will also take

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

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: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

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

*{{Wiktionary-inline, quail Coturnicini Quails Bird common names