- Coturnix coturnix
Includes: Azores Common Quail, Cape Verde Common Quail, Abyssinian Quail, African Quail
Identification
16-18 cm
- 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
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
<flashmp3>Coturnix coturnix (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
References
- Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
- Avibase
- Collins Field Guide 5th Edition ISBN 0 00 219900 9
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Common Quail. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 7 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Common_Quail