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Old World quail is a collective name for several
Old World quail is a collective name for several genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
of mid-sized bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
s in the tribe Coturnicini
Coturnicini is a tribe of birds in the subfamily Phasianinae. It contains the Old World quail, snowcocks, and African spurfowl, among others. Members of this tribe have a wide range throughout Africa, Eurasia, and Australasia. This tribe conta ...
of the pheasant
Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia ...
family Phasianidae
The Phasianidae are a family (biology), family of heavy, ground-living birds, which includes pheasants, partridges, junglefowl, chickens, Turkey bird, turkeys, Old World quail, and peafowl. The family includes many of the most popular Game (hunti ...
. Although all species commonly referred to as "Old World quail" are in the same tribe, they are paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
with respect to the other members of the tribe, such as '' Alectoris, Tetraogallus'', ''Ammoperdix
''Ammoperdix'' is a small genus in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes. It contains two similar species:
* See-see partridge, ''Ammoperdix griseogularis''
* Sand partridge, ''Ammoperdix heyi''
The see-see partridge occur ...
'', '' Margaroperdix'', and ''Pternistis
''Pternistis'' is a genus of galliform birds formerly classified in the spurfowl group of the Perdicinae, partridge subfamily of the Phasianidae, pheasant family. They are described as "partridge-francolins" in literature establishing their phy ...
''.
New World quail
The New World quail are small birds only distantly related to the Old World quail, but named for their similar appearance and habits. The American species are in their own family, the Odontophoridae, whereas Old World quail are in the pheasant ...
are also found in the Galliformes
Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkeys, chickens, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are ofte ...
, but are not in the same family (Odontophoridae
The New World quail are small birds only distantly related to the Old World quail, but named for their similar appearance and habits. The American species are in their own family, the Odontophoridae, whereas Old World quail are in the pheasant ...
). Buttonquail
Buttonquail or hemipodes are members of a small family of birds, Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae. They inhabit warm grasslands in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia. There are 18 species in two genera ...
s are not closely related at all, but are named for their similar appearance. They are presently placed in the family Turnicidae
Buttonquail or hemipodes are members of a small family of birds, Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae. They inhabit warm grasslands in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia. There are 18 species in two genera ...
of the Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes (, from ''Charadrius'', the type genus of family Charadriidae) is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 390 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most charadriiform birds live near water an ...
, classified as shorebirds.
The collective noun
In linguistics, a collective noun is a word referring to a collection of things taken as a whole. Most collective nouns in everyday speech are not specific to one kind of thing. For example, the collective noun "group" can be applied to people (" ...
for a group of quail is '' flock'', ''bevy'' or ''covey''.
Taxonomy
Old World quail may refer to the following species of Coturnicini: *Genus ''Synoicus
''Synoicus'' is a genus of 4 species of Old World quail.
The species in the genus are distributed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, tropical Asia, and Australasia. Two of the four species in the genus were originally classified in ''Excalfactoria'' ...
''
**Brown quail
The brown quail (''Synoicus ypsilophorus''), also known as the swamp quail, silver quail and Tasmanian quail, is an Australasian true quail of the family Phasianidae. It is a small, ground-dwelling bird and is native to mainland Australia, Tasman ...
, ''Synoicus ypsilophorus''
**Snow Mountain quail
The Snow Mountain quail (''Synoicus monorthonyx''), is a large, approximately 28 cm (11 in) long, dark brown quail of alpine grasslands. It was formerly considered the only member of the genus ''Anurophasis'', but phylogenetic analysis ...
, ''Synoicus monorthonyx''
** Blue quail, ''Synoicus adansonii''
**King quail
The king quail (''Synoicus chinensis''), also known as the blue-breasted quail, Asian blue quail, Chinese painted quail, or Chung-Chi, is a species of Old World quail in the family Phasianidae. This species is the smallest "true quail", rangin ...
, ''Synoicus chinensis''
*Genus ''Coturnix
''Coturnix'' is a genus of five extant species and five to eight known extinct species of Old World quail.
These species are distributed throughout Africa, Eurasia, Australia, and formerly New Zealand. An extinct radiation of flightless, insul ...
''
** Rain quail, ''Coturnix coromandelica''
**Harlequin quail
The harlequin quail (''Coturnix delegorguei'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It occurs in sub-Saharan Africa and in the Arabian Peninsula.Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sull ...
, ''Coturnix delegorguei''
** Common quail, ''Coturnix coturnix''
**†Canary Islands quail
The Canary Islands quail (''Coturnix gomerae'') is an extinct quail species that once occurred on the islands of El Hierro, La Palma, Tenerife and Fuerteventura (Canary Islands, Spain).
Extinction
This quail was most likely still present in th ...
, ''Coturnix gomerae'' (fossil)
**Japanese quail
The Japanese quail (''Coturnix japonica''), also known as the coturnix quail, is a species of Old World quail found in East Asia. First considered a subspecies of the common quail, it is now considered as a separate species. The Japanese quail ...
, ''Coturnix japonica''
**†New Zealand quail
The New Zealand quail (''Coturnix novaezelandiae''), or ''koreke'' in Māori, is an extinct quail species endemic to New Zealand. The male and female were similar, except the female was lighter. The first scientist to describe it was Sir Joseph ...
, ''Coturnix novaezelandiae'' (extinct)
**Stubble quail
The stubble quail (''Coturnix pectoralis'') is a native Australian species which is the most common quail species in Australia. The species is not under any threat of extinction (IUCN Least Concern). Stubble quail are widespread and found throug ...
, ''Coturnix pectoralis''
*Genus ''Perdicula
''Perdicula'' is a small genus of quail in the family Phasianidae, containing four species that are collectively known as the bush quails.
Taxonomy
The generic name ''Perdicula'' is a Modern Latin diminutive of the genus ''Perdix'', and mea ...
''
**Jungle bush quail
The jungle bush quail (''Perdicula asiatica'') is a species of quail in the family Phasianidae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent, where it is found in peninsular India and Sri Lanka. It has also been reported from Nepal but has not been se ...
, ''Perdicula asiatica''
**Rock bush quail
The rock bush quail (''Perdicula argoondah'') is a species of quail found in parts of peninsular India. It is a common species with a wide range and the IUCN has rated it as being of "least concern".
Taxonomy and systematics
There are three r ...
, ''Perdicula argoondah''
**Painted bush quail
The painted bush quail (''Perdicula erythrorhyncha'') is a species of quail found in the hill forests of India. They move in small coveys on hillsides and are distinguished by their red bills and legs. They have a liquid alarm call and small grou ...
, ''Perdicula erythrorhyncha''
**Manipur bush quail
The Manipur bush quail (''Perdicula manipurensis'') is a species of quail found in northeastern India and Bangladesh inhabiting damp grassland, particularly stands of tall grass. It was first collected and described by Allan Octavian Hume on an o ...
, ''Perdicula manipurensis''
*Genus ''Ophrysia
The Himalayan quail (''Ophrysia superciliosa'') or mountain quail, is a medium-sized quail belonging to the pheasant family. It was last reported in 1876 and is feared extinct. This species was known from only 2 locations (and 12 specimens) in ...
''
**Himalayan quail
The Himalayan quail (''Ophrysia superciliosa'') or mountain quail, is a medium-sized quail belonging to the pheasant family. It was last reported in 1876 and is feared extinct. This species was known from only 2 locations (and 12 specimens) in ...
, ''Ophrysia superciliosa'' (critically endangered/extinct)
Behaviour
Old World quail are small, plump terrestrial birds. They areseed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
eaters, but will also take insect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...
s and similar small prey. They nest on the ground and are capable of short, rapid bursts of flight. Some species, such as the Japanese and common quail, are migratory and fly for long distances.
Some quail are farmed in large numbers. The common
Common may refer to:
Places
* Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
* Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts
* Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts
* Clapham Common, originally com ...
and Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
(or coturnix) quail are both raised for table meat or to produce eggs. They are also readily hunted, often artificially stocked on game farms or to supplement wild populations.
Migrating common quail are known to eat some poisonous seeds with no apparent ill effects but store the poison in their body fat, poisoning people who subsequently eat these birds; this condition is known as "coturnism
Coturnism is an illness featuring muscle tenderness and rhabdomyolysis (muscle cell breakdown) after consuming quail (usually common quail, ''Coturnix coturnix'', from which the name derives) that have fed on poisonous plants.
Causes
From cas ...
".Coturnism: Human Poisoning By European Migratory Quail Journal of Cultural Geography Volume 7, Issue 2, 1987, Pages 51 – 65 Authors: David C. Lewisa; Elizabeth Metallinos-Katzarasb; Louis E. Grivettic
References
External links
* {{Phasianidae Coturnicini Quails Bird common names