Smallest of all gallinaceous birds

Smallest of all gallinaceous birds

Description

The smallest of all gallinaceous birds, an adult measures just 12–14 cm and weighs around 28–40 g. The male is strikingly marked in slate blue-grey with a rich chestnut belly and a bold black-and-white throat pattern, while the female is a cryptic brown, finely barred to blend into the grass.

Habitat

It favours damp meadows, grassy plains, the margins of rice paddies and wetlands with dense low vegetation, staying hidden close to the ground.

Diet

It feeds mainly on small grass and weed seeds, supplemented with insects, larvae and other tiny invertebrates; chicks rely largely on animal food at first.

Reproduction

The nest is a shallow ground scrape lined with grass. The female lays 5–13 small eggs and incubates them for about 16–18 days. The chicks are precocial, leaving the nest soon after hatching to feed themselves.

Lifespan

In human care it usually lives 3–6 years, and generally less in the wild.

Did you know?

Despite its tiny size, the king quail is a favourite in aviaries, where it is often kept with larger birds and acts as a "cleaner", picking up seeds that fall to the ground.