Common quail with a scientific name Coturnix coturnix is a small bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae.
Concentration of Common Quail
Common quail is widespread and is found in parts of Europe; it should not be confused with the domesticated Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica, native to Asia, which, although visually similar, has a very distinct call.
Habitat of Common Quail
Common quail is a terrestrial species, feeding on seeds and insects on the ground. Common quail is notoriously difficult to see, keeping hidden in crops, and reluctant to fly, preferring to creep away instead. Even when flushed, it keeps low and soon drops back into cover. Often the only indication of its presence is the distinctive "wet-my-lips" repetitive song of the male. The call is uttered mostly in the mornings, evenings and sometimes at night. It is a strongly migratory bird, unlike most game birds.
Breeds of Common quail
Common quail, which is upon attaining an age of 6-8 weeks breeds on open arable farmland and grassland across most of Europe and Asia, laying 6-12 eggs in a ground nest. The eggs take from 16-18 days to hatch.
History of Common Quail
In 1537, Queen Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII, pregnant with the future King Edward VI, developed an insatiable craving for quail, and courtiers and diplomats abroad were ordered to find sufficient supplies for the Queen. Common quail was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Tetrao coturnix. The Eurasian race, C. c. coturnix, over winters southwards in Africa`s Sahel and India. The populations on Madeira and the Canary Islands belong to the nominate race.
Mythological Significances of Common Quail
Mythological Significances of Common quail reveals that in Holy Bible, Exodus 16:1-13 relates how the migrating Israelites asked God for meat and were provided with a massive flock of migrating quail. It is still heavily hunted as game on passage through the Mediterranean area. This species over recent years has seen an increase in its propagation in the United States and Europe. However, most of this increase is with hobbyists.
