| Quail | |
|---|---|
| |
| Brown quail (Synoicus ypsilophorus) | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Superfamily: | Phasianoidea |
| Groups included | |
| |
| Cladistically included but traditionally excluded taxa | |
| |
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey,[1] or bevy.[2]
Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New World quail are placed in the family Odontophoridae. The species of buttonquail are named for their superficial resemblance to quail, and form the family Turnicidae in the order Charadriiformes. The king quail, an Old World quail, often is sold in the pet trade, and within this trade is commonly, though mistakenly, referred to as a "button quail". Many of the common larger species are farm-raised for table food or egg consumption, and are hunted on game farms or in the wild, where they may be released to supplement the wild population, or extend into areas outside their natural range. In 2007, 40 million quail were produced in the United States.[3]
- ^ USGS - Animal Congregations, or What Do You Call a Group Archived March 20, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Bevy", Merriam-Webster.com.
- ^ 2007 Census of Agriculture: United States Summary and State Data Volume 1 • Geographic Area Series • Part 51 AC-07-A-51 (PDF). USDA. February 2009. p. 423. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2014-02-04.