Quail

The quail (Coturnix coturnix) is the smallest of the game birds found in the United Kingdom, and the only one that is migrant. It is found throughout Europe, although in much smaller numbers than in former times due to extensive shooting. Birds in southern Europe are resident, whereas others winter in north Africa and the Arabian peninsula. In Britain, it is most commonly found in eastern and southern England, and only rarely in Wales and most of Scotland.

The preferred habitat of the quail is dry grassland and cornfields.

The quail has amber conservation status in the United Kingdom, with its numbers still recovering from being over-exploited by game shooters in the past.

Appearance

The quail is a stocky bird that measures about 18 centimetres (7 inches) in length. It has a thick neck, long thin wings and a short pointed tail.

The plumage is streaky buff-brown above and light to orange below. The head markings are distinctive as between males and females, with male quails having a dark central throat stripe and two bands curving up to the cheeks. Female quails lack the central stripe and the two bands are broken rather than continuous.

Behaviour

The quail is a very secretive bird that is rarely seen except when in flight, which generally only happens when it is disturbed. It can be quite a shock to walk through long grass and suddenly find that a quail is flying up virtually from under one’s feet!

The quail is more often heard than seen, its call being a double croak or three syllables that imaginative people might hear as “wet my lips”.

Adult quails feed on seeds and insects.

Breeding

Quails arrive at their breeding grounds in late April or May. Quails do not pair for life, and one male can possibly service several hen birds at a time. Anything from six to twelve eggs are laid in a scrape hidden in the grass or crop, with either one or two broods raised between late May and mid-August.

Incubation of the eggs is done entirely by the hen quail. The chicks take up to 20 days to hatch, but are fully capable of looking after themselves from birth, catching small insects and larvae. They are fully fledged at about 20 days, after which they congregate in small groups in preparation for their migration south, which happens in the autumn.

Adult quails feed on seeds and insects.

© John Welford