Quail

For other uses, see Quail (disambiguation).

Quail
Brown quail (Synoicus ypsilophorus)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Galliformes
Superfamily:	Phasianoidea
Groups included
Odontophoridae Gould, 1844 Phasianidae subfamily Perdicinae Horsfield, 1821(partial) Anurophasis van Oort, 1910 Coturnix Garsault, 1764 Ophrysia Bonaparte, 1856 Perdicula Hodgson, 1837
Cladistically included but traditionally excluded taxa
Numididae all other members of Phasianidae

Call of a male common quail (Coturnix coturnix)

Quail in Shankipara, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy.

Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New World quail are placed in the family Odontophoridae. The species of buttonquail are named for their superficial resemblance to quail, and form the family Turnicidae in the order Charadriiformes. The king quail, an Old World quail, often is sold in the pet trade, and within this trade is commonly, though mistakenly, referred to as a "button quail". Many of the common larger species are farm-raised for table food or egg consumption, and are hunted on game farms or in the wild, where they may be released to supplement the wild population, or extend into areas outside their natural range. In 2007, 40 million quail were produced in the United States.

New World

• Genus Callipepla
  • Scaled quail, (commonly called blue quail) Callipepla squamata
  • Elegant quail, Callipepla douglasii
  • California quail, Callipepla californica
  • Gambel's quail, Callipepla gambelii
• Genus Cyrtonyx
  • Montezuma quail, Cyrtonyx montezumae
  • Ocellated quail, Cyrtonyx ocellatus
• Genus Dactylortyx
  • Singing quail, Dactylortyx thoracicus
• Genus Philortyx
  • Banded quail, Philortyx fasciatus
• Genus Colinus
  • Northern bobwhite, Colinus virginianus
  • Black-throated bobwhite, Colinus nigrogularis
  • Spot-bellied bobwhite, Colinus leucopogon
  • Crested bobwhite, Colinus cristatus
• Genus Odontophorus
  • Marbled wood quail, Odontophorus gujanensis
  • Spot-winged wood quail, Odontophorus capueira
  • Black-eared wood quail, Odontophorus melanotis
  • Rufous-fronted wood quail, Odontophorus erythrops
  • Black-fronted wood quail, Odontophorus atrifrons
  • Chestnut wood quail, Odontophorus hyperythrus
  • Dark-backed wood quail, Odontophorus melanonotus
  • Rufous-breasted wood quail, Odontophorus speciosus
  • Tacarcuna wood quail, Odontophorus dialeucos
  • Gorgeted wood quail, Odontophorus strophium
  • Venezuelan wood quail, Odontophorus columbianus
  • Black-breasted wood quail, Odontophorus leucolaemus
  • Stripe-faced wood quail, Odontophorus balliviani
  • Starred wood quail, Odontophorus stellatus
  • Spotted wood quail, Odontophorus guttatus
• Genus Oreortyx
  • Mountain quail, Oreortyx pictus
• Genus Rhynchortyx
  • Tawny-faced quail, Rhynchortyx cinctus

Old World

• Genus Coturnix
  • Common quail (also called Pharaoh, Bible, European or Nile quail), Coturnix coturnix
  • Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica
  • Stubble quail, Coturnix pectoralis
  • †New Zealand quail, Coturnix novaezelandiae (extinct)
  • Rain quail, Coturnix coromandelica
  • Harlequin quail, Coturnix delegorguei
  • †Canary Islands quail, Coturnix gomerae (fossil)
• Genus Synoicus
  • Brown quail, Synoicus ypsilophorus
  • Blue quail, Synoicus adansonii
  • King quail, Synoicus chinensis
  • Snow Mountain quail, Synoicus monorthonyx
• Genus Perdicula
  • Jungle bush quail, Perdicula asiatica
  • Rock bush quail, Perdicula argoondah
  • Painted bush quail, Perdicula erythrorhyncha
  • Manipur bush quail, Perdicula manipurensis
• Genus Ophrysia
  • Himalayan quail, Ophrysia superciliosa (critically endangered/extinct)

In culture and religion

• Quails were depicted in ancient Egyptian paintings, the quail drawing in hieroglyphics is equal to the letter "O"
• In the letter of Shepsi to his mother, one of the Egyptian letters to the dead, her wrote reminding her of all the good deeds he performed during her lifetime. Saying … you said to me, your son, “you shall bring me some quails that I may eat them” and I, your son, then brought you seven quails and you ate them …,

• Quails were mentioned in all three Abrahamic religions in the Old Testament. It was mentioned several times, for example: in Exodus (16:13-15) “That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning, there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat”

Psalm (78:30-31) mentioned that many Israelites died after eating quail mentioning “But before they turned from what they craved, even while the food was still in their mouths, God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them”

In the Quran in surah taha verse 80 “ O Children of Israel! We saved you from your enemy, and made an appointment with you on the right side of Mount Ṭûr, and sent down to you manna and quails”

• In Author Naguib Mahfouz's novel Autumn Quail the quail is used as an allegory for the fleeting happiness of the protagonist

• The neighbourhood near the Giza pyramid complex that includes the horse stables and tourist gift shops is called "Nazlet el Semman" which means "Quails landing" it got that name because quail birds would descend to the area during their seasonal migration

Quail in cookery

Main article: Quail as food

Quail that have fed on hemlock (e.g., during migration) may induce acute kidney injury due to accumulation of toxic substances from the hemlock in the meat; this problem is referred to as "coturnism".

See also

• Quail eggs
• Domesticated quail

External links

• "Quail" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
• "Quail" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.