Common Quail Coturnix coturnix

The Common Quail, sometimes misleadingly called the European Quail, is native over much of Europe, Africa and part of Asia. It is migratory in some of its northern range, wintering in Africa. Unfortunately, it is heavily hunted/shot on migration in Mediterranean countries. It is also farmed for meat and eggs.

The male quail, above left and right, has a reddish-brown face and a plain breast in breeding plumage, with russet on the chest. The female, above centre, has a more lined face without the red and a speckled breast. Both have the pale eyebrow and centre parting and have camouflaged body plumage. The African subspecies of male has more extensive red on the face.

Three's a crowd. The quail egg is camouflaged to look like a small stone. The Common Quail has a call described as "wet my lips", a distinguishing characteristic with the similar-looking Japanese Quail which has a different call.