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Quail Facts

Quail Facts
Quail is a bird that belongs to the pheasant family (even though they do not look alike, quails and pheasants are closely related). These birds originate from North America, but they can be found in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and South America today. There are 32 species of quails that differ in size, color and type of habitat where they can be found. Quail inhabits woodlands, areas covered with bushes and open spaces. Some species of quails are hunted as game birds, or because of their meat (that is highly prized in some countries) and feathers (that is used for decoration). Quails can be domesticated and kept as poultry that produce eggs of high quality. Habitat destruction and uncontrolled hunt negatively affect number of quails in the wild. Some species of quails are listed as endangered due to these factors.
Interesting Quail Facts:
Quail is small bird. It can reach 4.5 to 7.8 inches in length and 2.4 to 4.9 ounces of weight.
Quails are covered with brown, black, white, grey and blue feathers. Specific coloration and arrangement of feathers create scale-like pattern on some parts of the body.
Certain species of quails have plume (also known as topknot), shaped like a teardrop, on top of the head. It bobs when bird is walking.
Quails are able to fly short distances, but they spend most of their time on the ground.
Quails can be active during the day (diurnal animals) or night (nocturnal animals), depending on the species.
Quail is an omnivore (eats other animals and plants). Its diet consists mainly of seeds, leaves, wheat, barley, berries and occasionally from grasshoppers and worms.
Quails produce high pitched sounds, cackles and grunts that are used for communication.
Quails bath in the dust to eliminate pest from the feathers and to keep their plumage clean.
Quails run when they are threatened. Some species are able to quickly reach the sky, while some become motionless when faced with danger. Certain quails are equipped with heel spurs - bony structure used for protection against predators.
Main predators of quails are cats, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, hawks, owls and snakes. They hunt quails and eat their eggs.
Certain quails are migratory birds, while others spend their entire life on the same area.
Quails are solitary birds that can be occasionally seen in pairs. They gather in large flocks during the mating season.
Female lays from 1 to 12 (usually 6) brightly colored eggs that hatch after incubation period of 23 days.
Chicks of most quail species are precocial. That means that baby birds are well developed and ready to leave the nest and follow their parents shortly after birth. Young quails reach maturity at the age of 2 months.
Quails can survive from 3 to 5 years in the wild.


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