FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
A harlequin quail (Coturnix delegorguei) is a fowl bird of the phasianidae family. Harlequin quail are native to the African continent unlike the common quails that are found in most parts of the world. The birds exhibit a color range from russet to dark brown with less strokes of black near the chest region and white strokes near the face region. The main habitat of this bird is the tropical grasslands or the savanna of Africa and the tropical rain forests. They are found in countries like Kenya, Uganda, Southern Africa, Madagascar and rarely in the few parts of Arabia. A harlequin quail makes its nest on the ground, it makes its nest padded with a layer of leaves, grasses, twigs for cushioning the eggs amidst the shrubs and bushes. The adult quail performs rituals of mating during the breeding season mainly depending on the timing of rain and the females lay 3-9 eggs on an average and the eggs are hidden by them amidst grass and bushes to save them from predators. Quail are threatened for their meat and eggs, their list of predators involve snakes, raccoons, cats, dogs, jackals as well as human hunters among others.
If you like what you read, do check out falcated duck facts and falanouc facts.
A harlequin quail (Coturnix delegorguei) is a game bird which is native to the continent of Africa.
A harlequin quail (Coturnix delegorguei) belongs to the class of Aves.
The population of the harlequin quail has not been evaluated due to their increasing population and wide distribution of the species among the remote and unapproachable wildernesses of the African continent.
A harlequin quail mostly lives in the tropical grasslands and forest regions of central and southern Africa.
The habitat of this species of quail is mainly the grasslands of Africa or the savannas and the tropical forests of the continent. The (Coturnix delegorguei) harlequin quail are found in regions namely the countries like Kenya, Uganda, Madagascar, Southern Africa and parts of South West Arabia. The female quail birds make their nests on the ground by padding dry leaves twigs and hiding their eggs amidst grass and shrubs.
A harlequin quail generally lives in flocks or coveys; however, harlequin quail are increasingly being domesticated by humans for meat and eggs or are adopted as pets and kept in cages.
A harlequin quail can live up to 2-3 years on average.
The female harlequin quail starts breeding at the early age of two months. Harlequin quail (Coturnix delegorguei) breeds mainly during the season of spring but their breeding season can occur at other times of the year depending on rain. Male birds court the females during the breeding season by bringing worms, insects as gifts as a part of the ritual. The breeding ritual also involves the exhibition of aggressiveness of the male quail as it chases the female quail, showing gestures of power by puffing their feathers around their neck and unfolding the wings. The female quail lays of about 3-9 eggs within 10-12 days of mating and hide their eggs amidst leaves, shrubs and bushes to save them from predators.
The harlequin quail is among the least concerned species of birds due to their abundant population among the wild savanna and rain forests. The increasing popularity of a quail's meat among humans is also paving the way to their extensive raising for meet and eggs.
A harlequin quail is russet in color with a stroke of black near its chest area and light strokes near the face region whereas the females are pale brown and less colorful. A quail has a round and fluffy belly, medium-sized wings and chicken-like legs.
A harlequin quail is quite cute and small in size when compared to the other fowl birds of the phasianidae family and thus these birds can be domesticated quite easily. A harlequin quill is quieter than ducks, geese and other fowl birds and these features make these birds cuter and a perfect pet.
The male quail produces sounds like "whit" "whit" to communicate with the partner and other members of the flock whereas the females make a "chit" "chit" sound as a mode of communication among the flock.
A harlequin quail weighs about 0.126-0.156 lb (57-71 g) with a body length range of 6.2-7.8 inch (16-20 cm). A harlequin quail is similar to other game birds of the phasianidae family as turkeys, pheasants and chickens but a quail is quite smaller in size. A harlequin quail is even less than half the size of an average chicken. The male of the harlequin quail species is comparatively smaller than those of the species of the new world quails that are native to the regions of North, Central and South America. The females of the African species of harlequin quail is quite similar to those of the common quail. A baby harlequin quail can grow very fast, they can become capable of propagating their breed or reproduction at an early age of about 7-9 weeks.
A harlequin quail does not fly very frequently like the birds of flight but the quail of this species can fly at a speed of at least 40 mph (64.3 kph).
A harlequin quail weighs about 0.126-0.156 lb (57-71 g) with a body length range of 6.2-7.8 in (16-20 cm) and thus commercially, this bird is not as profitable as the other birds like turkey or chicken which are mainly raised for meat and eggs. The Japanese pharaoh quail are extensively raised for their meet as they are the best tasting breeds.
The male quail of the species is known as a cock whereas the female quail is termed as a hen.
The baby of a harlequin quail is called a chick.
A harlequin quail is an omnivorous bird. They feed on mollusks like snails, slugs, small insects like beetles, bugs, ants, termites, grasshoppers, caterpillars, bugs, small worms. They also feed on greens or plant-based food like leaves, grains, seeds, pulses. The domesticated quail eats corns, millet among others.
Quail can poison themselves while their journey of migration and such a quail can cause sickness if eaten by humans; however, this is a rare case and in general, a quail is an extremely harmless and meek animal, its small size and quiet nature is far from posing any threat or danger to humans.
A quail is a medium-sized bird with a cute round belly and soft feathery body with a color range of dark brown to russet. A quail is quiet and smaller in size when compared to the birds of the same family like ducks and chicken thus making quail a better option as a pet.
An amazing feature about the harlequin quails is the appearance of their eggshells. Quails often face snakes, foxes, wild cats and dogs as their predators in the wild savannas. The predators often steal and eat the egg of the quail. But nature has its own ways as the eggs of the quails are not plain shades of white as the eggs of chickens, rather the egg of a quail has dark patches on the light colored shell of it which makes the eggs less visible by predators and hence act as camouflage among the grasses and bushes. A quail is generally found to make its nest on the ground, however, the natural defensive feature of the eggs keep them safe from its predators.
The Chinese painted quail or the button quail is the smallest breed of quail.
The bobwhite quail is among the largest breed of quail.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including fairy pitta facts or secretary bird facts.
You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Harlequin quail coloring pages.
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Coturnix_delegorguei/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin_quail
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising.
We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the buy now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published.
Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.
We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
Was this article helpful?
We’ll send you tons of inspiration to help you find a hidden gem in your local area or plan a big day out.
Check your inbox for your latest news from us. You have subscribed to:
Remember that you can always manage your preferences or unsubscribe through the link at the foot of each newsletter.