Blue quail
| Blue quail | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Subfamily: | Perdicinae |
| Genus: | Excalfactoria |
| Species: | E. adansonii |
| Binomial name | |
| Excalfactoria adansonii (Verreaux & Verreaux, 1851) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The blue quail or African blue quail[2] (Excalfactoria adansonii) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae.[3]
Taxonomy
The blue quail was described as Coturnix adansonii by Jules Verreaux and Édouard Verreaux in 1851.[4] It is named after the French naturalist Michel Adanson.[5] The species is monotypic.[2]
Distribution and habitat
The species is found in Sub-Saharan Africa.[2] It ranges from Sierra Leone to Ethiopia, and south to Zambia, and eastward to Kenya.[6] The habitat of the blue quail excludes dry areas. Inhabiting mainly grassland and fields, the birds typically live near rivers or other bodies of water.[6]
Description
The blue quail is 14–16.5 cm (5.5–6.5 in) long and weighs 43–44 g (1.5–1.6 oz).[6] Its legs are yellow. The colour of the eyes varies from brown in the juvenile to red in the breeding male.[2] The species is sexually dimorphic.[2] The male's plumage is mostly dark slaty-blue, with rufous patches on its wings.[7] The male has a black beak,[2] a brown head,[6] and a black and white throat.[7] There is a white patch on its breast. Its flight feathers are brown.[2] The forehead, sides of the head and neck, and flanks of the female are orange-buff.[2] Its crown is brown, with black mottles.[2] The female's beak is brownish. Its underparts are buff, with black bars, and its upperparts have black and rufous mottles and streaks.[2] The juvenile is similar to the female.[2]
Behaviour
The blue quail is migratory. It often migrates to regions at the start of the rainy season and leaves early in the dry season.[2] It eats seeds, leaves, insects and molluscs.[6] Its voice is a piping whistle, kew kew yew.[7] It also gives the whistle tir-tir-tir when it is flushed.[2] The blue quail is monogamous. The nest is a scrape.[2] Eggs are usually laid at the beginning of the rainy season.[2] There are 3 to 9 olive-brown eggs in a clutch. The eggs have reddish and purplish freckles.[2] They are incubated by the female for around 16 days.[2] The chicks are precocial.[6]
Status
The blue quail has a large range and appears to have a stable population trend. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has listed the species as least concern.[1]
References
- 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Synoicus adansonii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2016: e.T22678971A92796857. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22678971A92796857.en. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 McGowan, Phil; Madge, Steve (2010). Pheasants, Partridges & Grouse: Including buttonquails, sandgrouse and allies. Bloomsbury. p. 244. ISBN 9781408135655.
- ↑ Gill, F.; Donsker, D. (eds.). "Pheasants, partridges & francolins". IOC World Bird List Version 6.4. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ↑ Verreaux, Jules; Verreaux, Ed. (1851). "Description d'espèces nouvelles d'oiseaux du Gabon (côte occidentale d'Afrique)". Revue et magasin de zoologie pure et appliquée. 2 (in French). 3 (11): 513–516.
- ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. Bloomsbury. p. 31. ISBN 9781408133262.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pappas, J. "Coturnix adansonii". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- 1 2 3 Redman, Nigel; Stevenson, Terry; Fanshawe, John (2010). Birds of the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Socotra. Bloomsbury. p. 130. ISBN 9781408135761.
External links
- Blue quail - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds