Japanese Quail

The Japanese quail is a small, rounded Old World quail about 17–19 cm long. Wild-type birds are streaked and mottled warm brown, with a pale eyebrow and throat pattern; males tend to have a plainer rufous breast while females show dark breast spotting. It was formerly treated as a form of common quail, but contact zones and reduced fertility in captive crosses support recognition as a separate species (Birds of the World; Wikipedia, general species account).

Wild Japanese quail use grassland, meadow, steppe and cultivated fields across East Asia. Northern breeders migrate south in winter, bringing some birds into southern East Asia. They feed on grass seeds, including millet-like seeds, together with worms, insect larvae and other small invertebrates, especially in summer. A female nests in a shallow ground scrape and lays commonly seven to fourteen eggs, which hatch after roughly 17–20 days. Domestic strains can be much heavier and should not define wild measurements (Animal Diversity Web).