Kingdom Animalia Class Aves | Phylum Chordata Order Galliformes | |
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Family Phasianidae
Horsfield, 1821 Mass Common quail: 96 g, Japanese quail: 90 g Length Common quail: 18 cm, Snow Mountain quail: 28 cm Representative species Common quail, Japanese quail, Brown quail, King quail, Himalayan quail | ||
Old World quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds in the pheasant family Phasianidae.
Contents
New World quail are also found in the Galliformes, 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 found in the Turnicidae family in the Charadriiformes, more closely related to shorebirds, gulls and auks.
The collective noun for a group of quail is flock, bevy or covey.
Taxonomy
Old World quail may refer to the following species of Phasianidae:
Behaviour
Old World quail are small, plump terrestrial birds. They are seed eaters, but will also take insects 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 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".