Coturnix coturnix

Interesting facts: The quail is the smallest game bird living in Europe. It lives well hidden on dry meadows, scrubland and fields. Only its three-syllable is heard occasionally. The species overwinters in Africa. When nest building it scratches a flat recess in the ground. This it lines only sparsely with grass stalks or bits of plants. Quail chicks are precocial birds and are already able to fly after 19 days. It is closed season in Germany all the year round. Earlier, the bird was often on our menu. The quails on offer in restaurants today are farmed.

Characteristics: Beige-brown-grey plumage, females with a paler throat, males with black in the middle of the throat

Body length: 20 to 30 cm (blackbird length)

Distribution: Fields / meadows, arable land