Mid-sized game birds of two groups: Old World quail, related to pheasants, and New World quail in a family of their own. Many larger species are farmed for meat and eggs; in 2007 the United States alone produced 40 million quail.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?Yes
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
The king quail is often sold in the pet trade, where it is called a "button quail".
Do people eat it?Yes
Many larger species are farm-raised for meat and eggs, or hunted.
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
ColoursBrown, Cream, Black
SizeTiny
Weight90–100 g (wild Japanese quail)
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives ingroups
Lives for2–5 years
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Worldwide; the Japanese quail lives mainly in East Asia and Russia.
Did you know
Quail eggs have hatched in orbit, aboard the Mir space station in 1990.
Japanese quail eggs were taken to space on Soyuz 32 in 1979, and in 1990 quail eggs hatched on the Mir space station.
A group of quail is called a covey or a bevy.
Often confused with
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