From Opus

Male
Photo by birdimage
Uden, Netherlands, June 2008

Coturnix coturnix

Includes: Azores Common Quail, Cape Verde Common Quail, Abyssinian Quail, African Quail

[edit] Identification

16-18 cm

• Buffish brown with darker brown and white streaks on upperparts.
• Cream supercilium
• Long wings
  

Female
Photo by Alan Manson
Cedara,, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, September 2008

Male has a black chin

[edit] Distribution

Widespread Palearctic region; eastern and southern Africa.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Habitat

Grassland.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes insects and seeds.

[edit] Breeding

The clutch of 6-18 eggs are laid in a ground nest, and incubated for 16-18 days.

[edit] Vocalisation

[edit] References

1. 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
2. Avibase
3. Collins Field Guide 5th Edition ISBN 0 00 219900 9

• List of references

[edit] External Links