Fun Common Quail Facts For Kids

The common quail (Coturnix coturnix), also known as the European quail, is a wild bird species found in various parts of the world. It ranges from North America, South America, southern Europe to Asia and North Africa. As migratory birds, their wings are quite long and pointed.

They have streaked brown feathers and a white eye stripe. This bird species can search for food by digging into the ground and may also play in the dirt while flapping wings as a dust bath.

Common quails are migratory and move in a group or flocks. The diet of the common quail includes insects, plant leaves, seeds, grains, and nuts. They mainly stay on the ground instead of trying to fly.

During the breeding season, the females make a nest out of plant material like grass and twigs. They can lay 12-16 eggs per clutch and may have up to three clutches per season.

Common quail hatching time is 17-20 days and is ready to fly in 11 days. They can mature in seven weeks in captivity and quickly adapt to their surroundings. Common quail's lifespan is about two or three years in the wild.

Scroll down to read more interesting facts about this bird species and where to search for them. If you liked this quail, you could also check out least tern facts or blue and yellow macaw facts.

Common Quail Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a common quail?

The common quail, Coturnix coturnix, is a species of bird found in most parts of the world. This includes Europe, Central Asia, China, Africa, Southeast Asia, North America, and South America.

What class of animal does a common quail belong to?

The common quail belongs to the class of wild birds with the Coturnix genus of the Phasianidae family. The common quail's scientific name is Coturnix coturnix. The word Coturnix means common quail in Latin.

How many common quails are there in the world?

The population of the common quail is estimated to be around 15,000,000-35,000,000, breeding individuals around the world. Although its population size is considerable, the numbers of the common quail have been steadily falling due to habitat loss and predation.

Where does a common quail live?

The common quail lives in the woodlands or grasslands of Africa, Asia, America, and Europe. They usually spend the summer in Europe, Turkey, or Central Asia.

In Africa, they are found in Madagascar, Egypt, Kenya, Malawi, and Namibia. In Asia, this quail usually lives in China and India for the winter.

They can also spend winter in north-western Africa, including the Nile River valley, Tanzania, and Mozambique. The common quails were introduced into the habitat of Mauritius a couple of times but unfortunately failed, and these birds went extinct there.

What is a common quail's habitat?

The Coturnix common quail is distributed in grasslands with dense vegetation. These birds are terrestrial, temperate, and tropical quails that live in places with cover, preferably of crops or tall grass.

Who do common quails live with?

The common quail is mainly a solitary bird and forages alone. This quail can form a small group, family, or pairs during the breeding season. While migrating, they tend to move together in flocks.

How long does a common quail live?

The average lifespan of a common quail bird may range from two to three years.

How do they reproduce?

The common quail breeding season can vary according to their location. It is May to August in Europe, September to March in Africa, and January to February during the wet season of places like Kenya.

Male quails usually arrive in the nesting area first and call out to females using their mating call. When the female birds arrive in the area, the male bird is known to perform a courting dance in which they ruffle their body feathers and move around the female birds in circles.

The nest is made out of grass, and the birds can have three clutches per season. Females can lay up to 13 eggs, depending upon their location.

The common quail incubation period of the eggs can take 17-20 days, and the fledglings are ready to fly in 11 days. The chicks are born mature and quickly learn to adapt to their environment.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of a common quail is Least Concern. Although the numbers are plenty, the population trend is decreasing. The main threat to the numbers of this bird is habitat loss, climate change, predation, drought, and hunting.

Common Quail Fun Facts

What do common quails look like?

The common quail, Coturnix coturnix, has a streaking brown plumage with a white eyestripe. Females are generally heavier than males. The male quails tend to have a white chin and darker faces. The body of the common quail species is small, and the wings are quite long as they are migratory.

How cute are they?

The common quail looks very small and adorable. These birds are common and can be found in most parts of the world, which makes it easy to search for them. They are stealthy, prefer being on the ground, and are agile. We think they are very cute!

How do they communicate?

The common quail uses body language and vocal cues to communicate. They have a call that is usually uttered, which can be uttered in response to the loud call of the territorial males. The body language is mostly used by the quails during breeding.

Males ruffle their feathers and move in circles around the female. The females can accept their invitation using a soft, low call. These quails may also use scent to communicate.

The call of a common quail species sounds like it's saying 'wet-my-lips' or 'whic! whic-ic!'. While their appearance can be confused with the Japanese quail, their sounds or calls are unique.

How big is a common quail?

The average length of the common quail is 6.3–7.1 in (16–18 cm) with a wingspan of 13–14 in (33–35.5 cm). If we compare the length of common quail vs Japanese quail, the latter might be very slightly bigger. The common quail is six times the size of a dragonfly.

How fast can a common quail run?

The fastest speed of a common quail is 37.2 mph (60 kph).

How much does a common quail weigh?

The average weight of common quails can range from 2.47-5.46 oz (70-155 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

The males are called cocks, while females are known as hens.

What would you call a baby common quail?

Baby ommon quails are called chicks.

What do they eat?

Common quails are omnivorous and can feed on seeds, berries, and grains as well as insects. They can eat weed seeds, nuts, ants, earwigs, insect larvae, and grasshoppers.

These birds mainly stay on the ground and can dig the soil in search of food. The main predators of common quail species include cats, snakes, raccoons, striped skunks, coyotes, foxes, hawks, and opossums.

Are they poisonous?

The common quail is not poisonous and rarely disturbs human beings. On the other hand, this species is used by humans for eggs and meat.

If a common quail eats a certain plant, which is up to debate, for now, the resulting meat of this bird may be poisonous. People who are poisoned generally get Coturnism which leads to muscle soreness and, in the worst case, kidney failure.

Would they make a good pet?

Common quails can be domesticated for meat and eggs. They are not messy, do not have very specific food requirements, and are one of the best birds for beginners.

Quails can also breed quickly in captivity, producing more eggs or meat. However, it is best to raise them from chickens, making it easy for them to adapt to living as a pet. Quails prefer living on the ground, which makes them easy to handle.

Capturing full-grown adults can make them anxious and is not good because you'll be stealing their freedom. As common quails are migratory birds, it is best to ensure their housing is warm in winter.

Did you know...

Common quails have been seen in Egyptian hieroglyphs that date back to 5000 B.C.

What are the different breeds of quail?

The common quail has five subspecies, namely Coturnix coturnix from Europe, Asia, Africa, Coturnix conturbans from the Azores, Coturnix inopinata from Cape Verde, Coturnix africana from neighborhood islands of Africa, and Coturnix erlangeri from east and northeast Africa.

The different species of quails include mountain quail, Japanese quail, Blue-breasted quail, bobwhite quail, Gambel's quail, scaled quail, California quail, jungle bush quail, and king quail.

Are quails migratory birds?

Yes, common quails are migratory and may migrate very long distances all over the world. The migration of this species is mainly seasonal, and they move to warmer grounds during winters. They move together in flocks.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds with our common kingfisher facts and hermit thrush facts.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable common quail coloring pages.

‍