Royal Quail: What Do You Know About Them?

About the king quail

The king quail or royal quail (scientific name: Coturnix chinensis ) is also known as the Asian blue quail or the blue-breasted quail. It is one of the birds with colorful feathers, and it can fly when necessary for short distances only when it senses danger, unless It prefers to stay on the ground, and these birds are usually kept as pets spread in many zoos around the world, and it belongs to the Phasianidae family (scientific name: Phasianidae ), and the Galliformes order (scientific name: Galliformes ), The most important information that may interest you about this bird is the following:

Homeland of the royal quail and where it spreads

The king quail is native to the continents of Asia and Australia and is currently found within the region extending from southern China to Oceania to southeastern Australia. It prefers to live in tropical and temperate shrubland areas, in grasslands, swamps, and near coastal areas.

Size and appearance of the royal quail

These birds are small, round birds with orange legs and feet. They have black beaks, red-brown eyes, and short, dark tails. The male has a bluish-gray chest, and their bellies are red or rust-orange in color, and white spots with black edges are spread in the throat area. They have, and the back and tail feathers are spotted brown and black, and the females are brown in color and have a silver chest, and brown and black spotted tail feathers, and lack the presence of blue feathers.

The length of the king quail ranges between 12-14 cm, while its mass ranges between 28-40 grams.

Diet of royal quail

This bird can eat small insects, seeds, grains, herbs, plants, and small nuts, in addition to berries. Together, these birds form groups of 10 to 30 birds to search for food, and they can usually be seen pecking the ground early in the morning until late in the afternoon. Noon.

Royal quail reproduction

The breeding season for quails varies depending on the rainy season, which varies in different parts of the world. For example, in Asia, the rainy season extends from June to August, while in ocean countries such as Australia or New Guinea it extends from December to March, and the number of eggs varies. Which is laid by the female at a time between 6 and 14 eggs.

It is worth noting here that the female may refuse to incubate the eggs unless the clutch size is appropriate and large for her. The eggs are usually placed in a nest or on the ground, and the incubation period extends for 16 days until the young hatch, and the young remain around the mother for four weeks before becoming completely independent. about her.