Common quail
A migratory game bird known for its distinctive three-chirp call.
The common quail (Coturnix coturnix), also known as the 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, this species is more often heard than seen and is widespread in Europe and North Africa.
- Scientific name
- Coturnix coturnix
- Length
- 16–18 cm
- Wingspan
- 32–35 cm
- IUCN status
- Least concern
- Number of subspecies
- 5
- Clutch size
- 8–13 eggs
Lore & Background
The common quail was formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 under the name Tetrao coturnix. The species was formerly considered conspecific with the Japanese quail, but the two are now treated as separate species due to lack of interbreeding in the wild and reduced fertility in captive crosses. Five subspecies are recognized, including C. c. coturnix, which breeds across Europe and northwest Africa to Mongolia.
Reader's Guide
The common quail is heavily hunted as game, especially during migration through the Mediterranean. Despite this pressure, the IUCN categorizes it as 'least concern.' The species has been introduced to Mauritius but failed to establish. Its meat can cause coturnism—a poisoning linked to certain plants the birds eat—affecting about one in four consumers with muscle soreness and potential kidney failure. In culture, the quail appears in the Bible's Book of Numbers, where a wind brought a mass of quails to the Israelites.
Did You Know?
- The common quail's call consists of three repeated chirps in quick succession.
- It is one of the few migratory game birds, unlike most in its family.
- The species was introduced to Mauritius but failed to establish and is now probably extinct there.
- If the quail has eaten certain plants, its meat can cause coturnism, leading to muscle soreness and possible kidney failure.
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