- Coturnix coturnix
Includes: Azores Common Quail, Cape Verde Common Quail, Abyssinian Quail, African Quail
Identification
16–20 cm (6¼-7¾ in)
- Buffish brown with darker brown and white streaks on upperparts.
- Cream supercilium
- Long wings
Male has a black chin
Distribution
Widespread Palearctic region; eastern and southern Africa.
Taxonomy

Photo © by Alan Manson
Cedara,, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, September 2008
Clements treats this species as monotypic[1].
Other authorities recognize five (or more) subspecies:
- C. c. coturnix breeding in Europe and wintering in Africa
- C. c. conturbans on the Azores
- C. c. inopinata on Cape Verde
- C. c. erlangeri in eastern Africa
- C. c. africana in southern Africa
Mainly africana is split as African Quail by some authorities.
Habitat
Grassland.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes insects and seeds.
Breeding
The clutch of 6-18 eggs are laid in a ground nest, and incubated for 16-18 days.
Vocalisation
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Collins Field Guide 5th Edition ISBN 0 00 219900 9
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2023) Common Quail. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 December 2023 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Common_Quail
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.