Quail

There are two types of Quail. There is what is called the Old World Quail which belongs to the pheasant family and the New World Quail which belongs to the Odontophoridae.

The Old World Quail are small, plump with a mottled plumage, short tails, short necks with rounded heads. They nest on the ground even though they can fly. They are not the most intelligent of birds. In captivity they can accidentally drown themselves, run into walls and they easily injure themselves. These species of Quail migrate to warmer climates during the winter months.

The New World Quail are smaller in size and are very territorial. They have a preference to walk or run rather than to fly; they only fly when they have no other choice.http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-quail.htm Their nest is usually a hollow that is scratched in the ground that is filled with leaves and grass. They tend to conceal their nests under vegetation, logs or rocks. This species of Quail do not migrate to a warmer climate during the cold months. In the North, they may be referred to as a bobwhite and in the South they are referred to as a partridge. You will mostly find them from Maine to Florida. They average around a size of 8 inches to 11 inches in length. The female will lay approximately 10 eggs which are white in color and when the young are born, they are covered with down.

The diet of Quails consists of seeds and insects. They are generally brown with speckles of white, black and chestnut. They are fairly fast runners with the ability to run 20 feet in one second but they are not able to outrun a predator as they are not long distance runners.

A flock of Quail is called a covey (pronounced KUHVee) and may consist of ten or fewer birds or as many as 190. When the Quail are in a covey they will snuggle together on the colder days to keep warm.