About the Common Quail
The common quail (Coturnix coturnix) or European quail is a small ground-nesting game bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is mainly migratory, breeding in the western Palearctic and wintering in Africa and southern India. 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.
Source: Wikipedia
Classification
- Scientific name
- Coturnix coturnix
- Family
- Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
- Order
- Galliformes
Similar species
Other members of the pheasants, grouse, and allies family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.
- Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus
- Blue-breasted Quail Synoicus chinensis
- Brown Quail Synoicus ypsilophorus
- Chukar Alectoris chukar
- Dusky Grouse Dendragapus obscurus
- Erckel's Spurfowl Pternistis erckelii
- Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus
- Gray Francolin Ortygornis pondicerianus
- Gray Partridge Perdix perdix
- Gray Peacock-Pheasant Polyplectron bicalcaratum
- Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido
- Greater Sage-Grouse Centrocercus urophasianus
Know when the Common Quail turns up near you
How rare bird alerts work →Gear for spotting Common Quail
Optics
Best Binoculars for Beginners
You don't need to spend a fortune. These four pairs will get you birding confidently on day one.
8 min readRead guide
Cameras
Cameras for Bird Photography
From phone adapters to dedicated rigs, here's what actually works for capturing birds in the field.
12 min readRead guide