Common quail

Common quail
Male (nominate subsp.) in Germany, and the advertising call in England
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Coturnix
Species:
C. coturnix
Binomial name
Coturnix coturnix
Range of C. coturnix
  Breeding
  Resident
  Non-breeding
  Possible extinct & Introduced
  Extant & Introduced (resident)
Synonyms
  • Tetrao coturnix Linnaeus, 1758

The common quail (Coturnix coturnix), or European quail, is a small ground-nesting game bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is mainly migratory, breeding in the western Palearctic and wintering in Africa and southern India.

With its characteristic call of three repeated chirps (repeated three times in quick succession), this species of quail is more often heard than seen. It is widespread in Europe and North Africa, and is categorised by the IUCN as "least concern". It should not be confused with the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), native to Asia, which, although visually similar, has a call that is very distinct from that of the common quail. Like the Japanese quail, common quails are sometimes kept as poultry.

  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2018). "Coturnix coturnix". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22678944A131904485. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22678944A131904485.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.