Stubble quail
Stubble quail | |
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In New South Wales and South Australia respectively | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Galliformes |
Family: | Phasianidae |
Genus: | Coturnix |
Species: | C. pectoralis
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Binomial name | |
Coturnix pectoralis Gould, 1837
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Distribution
common
nomadic
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The stubble quail (Coturnix pectoralis) is a native Australian species which is the most common quail species in Australia.
Taxonomy
The stubble quail is a member of the family
Description
The stubble quail is a ground dwelling bird that is characterised by its dark brown feathers with a cream coloured strip down the centre of each feather giving rise to stripes down the length of the bird. It is a plump species that is larger than other native quails. Male birds will mature at about 18.0–18.5 cm long and females are generally slightly larger.[8] Adult males weigh around 100g and the females around 110g with all birds having a wingspan of between 25–33 cm.[9] The stubble quail can also be identified by the loud whirring noise made by their wings during take-off into flight once disturbed from on the ground.
Similar species
The
Distribution and habitat
Stubble quail are found in a diverse range of habitats from very dry parts of Australia
Behaviour
Breeding
In Victoria the stubble quail breed between August and December, [8] but breeding season can vary due to environmental conditions.[13] Breeding pairs may stay together for all year and if a pair is separated when flushed, they will call to each other in order to locate each other.[9] The female stubble quail lays about seven or eight yellow eggs which are incubated solely by her for 18 days.[2] Often stubble quail nest in crops that are about to be harvested so their nests get destroyed.[4] Both parents guard the chicks until they are almost full-sized birds, [9] but once the chicks reach six weeks and have a full plume of feathers, their parents remove the chicks from their own breeding grounds.[8] Males call at dawn and dusk as a territorial display.[9]
Travel
Stubble quail are
Threats
Foxes and cats are their biggest predators, especially when nesting.[8] Humans also reduce the numbers of stubble quail as they can legally be hunted in some parts of Australia. However, there are strict regulations in place to ensure that they are not hunted at times when the population is weak such as breeding, moulting and environmental stress.[2]
Evolutionary adaptations
The stubble quail has many evolutionary adaptations that enable it to live in very dry conditions. These include low daily water requirements, high tolerance of saline water and the ability to produce highly concentrated waste products.[10] Highly concentrated urine is achieved by the large medulla in the kidney which is present in the stubble quail. If the birds have access to green foliage as well as grain, the stubble quail can survive without drinking any water.[6] In areas where temperatures are very hot, stubble quail have been observed to forage during the night.[15] Stubble quail that live in arid areas can have very irregular breeding patterns that are more dependent on environmental conditions than day length. This takes advantage of resources such as food and water, for their chicks.[13] The stubble quail are thermally neutral at 30–35 °C so in some habitats where temperatures fall below 0 °C a large amount of energy is expended maintaining body temperature.[15]
References
- . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Anonymous (1 September 2013). "Stubble Quail". State Government Victoria: Department of environment and primary industries. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- ^ a b Anonymous. (No date). "Coturnix (Coturnix) pectoralis Gould, 1837". Atlas of Living Australia – An Australian Government Initiative. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Blakers, M., Davies, S.J.J.F. & Reilly, P.N. (1984). The atlas of Australian birds. Victoria: Melbourne University Press.
- ^ Anonymous. (1969). An Index of Australian Bird Names. Division of Wildlife Research Technical Paper, 20, 93. Canberra : CSIRO. Sited in: No author (updated 4 July 2013). Species Coturnix (Coturnix) pectoralis Gould, 1837. Australian Government: Department of Environment. Retrieved 12 October 2013 from https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/Coturnix%20%28Coturnix%29%20pectoralis
- ^ a b c Roberts, J.R. & Baudinette, R.V. (1984). The water economy of Stubble Quail, Coturnix pectoralis, and King Quail, Coturnix chinensis. Australian Journal of Zoology, 32(5), 637–647. DOI: 10.1071/ZO9840637.
- ^ Seabrook-Davidson, M., Huynen, L., Lambert, D.M. & Brunton, D.H. (2009). Ancient DNA resolves identity and phylogeny of New Zealand’s extinct and living quail (Coturnix sp.). PLOS One, 4(7), 1–7. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006400
- ^ a b c d e Anonymous (1 September 2013). "Introduction to property based game management – Stubble Quail". State Government Victoria: Department of environment and primary industries. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Marchant, S. & Higgins, P.J. (Eds.). (1993). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic birds (Vol. 2). Melbourne, Oxford University Press.
- ^ a b Roberts, J.R., Baudinette, R.V. & Wheldrake, J.F. (1984). Renal clearance studies in Stubble Quail Coturnix pectoralis and King Quail Coturnix chinensis under conditions of hydration, dehydration, and salt loading. Physiological Zoology, 58(3), 340–349. Retrieved 12 October 2013 from https://www.jstor.org/stable/30156005.
- ^ Osborne, W.S. & Green, K. (1992). Seasonal changes in composition, abundance and foraging behavior of birds in the snowy mountains. EMU, 92(2), 93–105. DOI: 10.1071/MU9920093.
- ^ Neave, H.M. & Tanton, M.T. (1989). The effects of grazing by Kangaroos and Rabbits on vegetation and the habitat of other fauna in the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, Australian Capital Territory. Australian Wildlife Research, 16(3), 337–351. DOI: 10.1071/WR9890337
- ^ a b Frith, H.J. & Carpenter, S.M. (1980). Breeding of Stubble Quail, Coturnix pectoralis, in South-Eastern Australia. Wildlife research, 7(1), 117–137. DOI: 10.1071/WR9800117.
- ^ Frith, H.J. & Waterman, M.H. (1977). Movements of Stubble Quail, Coturnix pectoralis, from South Australian grain fields. Australian Wildlife Research, 4(1), 85–90. DOI: 10.1071/WR9770085.
- ^ a b Roberts, J.R. & Baudinette, R.V. (1986). Thermoregulation, oxygen consumption, and water turnover in Stubble Quail, Coturnix pectoralis, and King Quail, Coturnix chinensis. Australian Journal of Zoology, 34(1), 25–33. DOI: 10.1071/ZO9860025
- BirdLife International (2006) Species factsheet: Coturnix pectoralis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 25 October 2006
- Marchant, S.; & Higgins, P.J. (Eds). (1993). ISBN 0-19-553069-1
External links