Hey! We are Japanese Quail found not only in Japan but also in most of East Asia and also India. Actually, our range also extends in Africa and parts of Europe.
Have a look at few interesting points about us:
- We were once considered as subspecies of common quail but in 1983, we got distinguished as separate quail species.
- Do you know? We are species that have been first domesticated in 12th century in Japan. We were bred as songbirds and we performed regularly in song contests.
- In the early 1900s, we were selectively bred for increased egg production in Japan.
- However, due to the events in World War II, the breeding industry was destroyed so much and whatever birds that were left were used to re-build the industry.
- Do you know? Unlike other pheasants, we are migratory. We are not good fliers and mostly walk on the ground. Travelling 400km-1000km is a remarkable feat for birds like us.
- We roost like any other pheasants and have 28 different call types.
SOME QUICK FACTS ABOUT US:
Our Scientific Name: Coturnix Japonica.
Identification: Dark brown colored chicken-like bird with yellowish-beige spots and smears.
Our Habitat: dense vegetation, grassy fields, bushes, steppes, meadows, mountain slopes and agricultural lands.
Our Range:
Food Habits: Omnivorous; feed mainly on many kinds of seeds, small worms, insects, and insect larvae.
Breeding Period: All around the year, varies with range.
Number of eggs laid: 7-14 eggs.
Incubation period: 19-20 days.
Lifespan: 6 years.
IUCN red list status: Near threatened.
CITES: Not listed.
Indian Wildlife Protection Act: Not listed.
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Cotunix
Species: C. japonica
COMPLETE DETAILS ABOUT US FOR ANIMAL ENTHUSIASTS:
We are Japanese Quails, a species of Old-World Quails. We are ground living migratory birds found in East Asia.
We are scientifically called as Coturnix Japonica.
HOW WE LOOK:
We are stout and bulbous birds and we look similar to European Common Quail. We are medium-sized pheasants with a body length of 15cm-20cm, a wingspan of 9.2cm-10.1cm, a tail size of 3.5cm-4.9cm and weigh 100gms-160gms.
We are mostly dark brown in color with yellowish-beige spots and smears on the upperparts and light brown color on the underparts. We have a white stripe above our eye. Our legs are orange-grey in color and our beak is pink-grey in color. Males of our species have reddish- brown coloring on the chest and black marking on the throat while females lack these.
Males and females look alike except for these differences. Females of our species are slightly larger than the males. Young ones of our species look similar to adults. Due to controlled breeding, some of us can be seen with different colors.
WE ARE FOUND IN:
We are birds that prefer living in dense vegetation, grassy fields, bushes, steppes, meadows, mountain slopes and agricultural lands.
We have a very wide range as we are migratory birds. In summer, we migrate to North Japan, Korea and India while in winter, we move to Southeast China, Hainan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Taiwan and Southern Japan. We are also found in Tanzania, Malawi, Namibia, Madagascar, Kenya, Egypt and few parts of Europe.
WHAT WE EAT:
We are omnivorous birds and feed on many kinds of seeds, small worms, insects, and insect larvae. The egg-laying female eats small peddles along with food to aid in digestion.
OUR REPRODUCTION:
We are polygamous birds and live in small groups. Females give long calls when they are ready to copulate. Males attract females by holding a small worm on the beak and giving out small croaking call. Females approach males and feed on this worm and pair. Our breeding season varies with the range. Females lay 7-14 eggs with one egg laid per day and the incubation period is 19-20 days. Incubation is done by females while both males and females take care and feed the young ones.
The young chicks get mature quickly and reach sexual maturity after 4 weeks of age. Our average lifespan is 6 years.
MORE ABOUT US:
We are hardy birds meaning, we can survive in extreme conditions.
We are being domesticated in all around the world. In Japan, we have been domesticated since late 12th century.
We are domesticated for our eggs. We are also seen in aviaries.
Though we are ground-living non-flying birds, we are migratory birds and travel large distances which is remarkable.
We roost like any other chicken and we have 28 distinct calls.
OUR CONSERVATION:
As the whole species, we are listed as “Near Threatened” in the red list of IUCN. In the wild, we suffer habitat loss and predation. But we are abundantly available as domesticated species. We have been removed from Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 allowing breeders to domesticate us freely.
