Quail, Guia de Fauna. RutaChile

Familia: Phasianidae
Genero: Coturnix
Nombre Cientifico: coturnix

The common quail (Coturnix coturnix) is a species of bird in the Phasianidae family galliforme widely distributed in Eurasia and Africa. It is a little chubby but with long wings that allow him to fly long distances adapted to their nomadic life and bird migrations between continents. Its plumage is mainly brown with ocher and black marbling (the only difference between the sexes is that the males have whitish throat with an anchor black on light background, the females do not possess). This makes this bird is almost imperceptible, because the colors blend into the ground. Males have a trisyllabic singing like a pal-pa-la and females is a high- pitched.

Unlike most other birds that belong to the order of Galliformes (partridges, pheasants, etc.), the quail is a bird migrates mainly, albeit with some irregularity. However, birds that breed in Spain, distributed throughout the country in regular amount, it seems that they behave almost as sedentary, at least in regard to the southernmost. In addition, this area and, in recent years, some meadows of Extremadura Guadiana, maintain a significant wintering population, probably due to changes made to the crops with the recent increase in irrigation, which provide them with adequate food and protection.

 

ID: sandy brown above, paler below; clear lists on the flanks; lists brownish head and no tail auburn; the male has pale long list on the eye; the female is duller than the male, with black spots on the chest.

Nesting: The female digs a hole in the ground between crops or herbs, finely covered with grass or leaves; start from May to July, sometimes in later times; usually 7-12 eggs, pale cream, mottled with shades chestnuts; incubation of 18-21 days by the female; chickens, attended only by the female leave the nest within hours of birth and begin to fly after about 11 days.

Diet: Mainly seeds of grasses and weeds; also snails, caterpillars.

Countries where lives Codorniz

CHILE     ALEMANIA     ARGENTINA     AUSTRIA     BRASIL     CHINA     ESPAÑA     ESTADOS UNIDOS     FRANCIA     NORUEGA     REINO UNIDO     RUSIA     SUDAFRICA     SUD AFRICA