Common quail
Common quail | |
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Male (nominate subsp.) in Germany, and the advertising call in England | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Galliformes |
Family: | Phasianidae |
Genus: | Coturnix |
Species: | C. coturnix
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Binomial name | |
Coturnix coturnix | |
Range of C. coturnix Breeding Resident Non-breeding Possible extinct & Introduced Extant & Introduced (resident)
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Synonyms | |
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The common quail (Coturnix coturnix), or European quail, is a small ground-nesting
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.
Taxonomy
The common quail was
Five subspecies are recognised:[6]
- C. c. coturnix (Linnaeus, 1758) – breeding in Europe and northwest Africa to Mongolia and north India, wintering in Africa and central, south India
- C. c. conturbans Hartert, 1917 – Azores
- C. c. inopinata Hartert, 1917 – Cape Verde Islands
- C. c. africana Temminck & Schlegel, 1848 – sub-Saharan Africa and the three islands
- C. c. erlangeri Zedlitz, 1912 – east and northeast Africa
Description
The common quail is a small compact
Distribution and habitat
This is a terrestrial species, feeding on
The common quail has been introduced onto the island of Mauritius on several occasions but has failed to establish itself and is now probably extinct.[12]
Behaviour and ecology
Breeding
Males generally arrive in the breeding area before the females. In northern Europe laying begins from the middle of May, and with repeat laying can continue to the end of August. The female forms a shallow
Relationship to humans
The common quail is heavily hunted as
This species over recent years has seen an increase in its
In 1537, Queen Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII, then pregnant with the future King Edward VI, developed an insatiable craving for quail, and courtiers and diplomats abroad were ordered to find sufficient supplies for the Queen.
Poisoning
If common quails have eaten certain plants, although which plant is still in debate, the meat from quail can be poisonous, with one in four who consume poisonous flesh becoming ill with coturnism, which is characterized by muscle soreness, and which may lead to kidney failure.[15][16][17]
In culture
In the Bible, the Book of Numbers chapter 11 describes a story of a huge mass of quails that were blown by a wind and were taken as meat by the Israelites in the wilderness.[18]
Gallery
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Head of female of the nominate subspecies
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Female
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ID composite
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Head of nominate subspecies
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Head of Coturnix coturnix africana
See also
- Quails in cookery
References
- ^ . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 161.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ Garsault, François Alexandre Pierre de (1764). Les figures des plantes et animaux d'usage en medecine, décrits dans la Matiere Medicale de Geoffroy Medecin (in French). Vol. 5. Paris: Desprez. Plate 686.
- .
- ^ Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Pheasants, partridges, francolins". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1934). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 2. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 92.
- ^ Moreau, R.E.; Wayre, P. (1968). "On the Palaearctic quails". Ardea. 56 (3–4): 209–227.
- ^ a b Cramp 1980, p. 503.
- ^ Cramp 1980, p. 496.
- ^ Hume, A.O.; Marshall, C.H.T. (1880). Game Birds of India, Burmah and Ceylon. Vol. II. Calcutta: A.O. Hume and C.H.T. Marshall. p. 148.
- doi:10.5962/p.309797.
- ^ Cramp 1980, pp. 501–502.
- .
- PMID 18963719.
- PMID 15313988.
- PMID 4904256.
- ^ Numbers 11:31-35
Sources
- ISBN 978-0-19-857505-4.
External links
- Common quail species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
- Common quail photos at Oiseaux
- Identification guide (PDF; 3.4 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze
- BirdLife species factsheet for Coturnix coturnix
- "Coturnix coturnix". Avibase.
- "Common quail media". Internet Bird Collection.
- European Quail photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
- Interactive range map of Coturnix coturnix at IUCN Red List maps
- Audio recordings of Common quail on Xeno-canto.