Rain Quail

The rain quail is a compact quail 15–17 cm long and weighing about 64–71 g. The male has a black breast patch and a bold black-and-white head pattern; the female is browner and resembles female common and Japanese quail, though its breast spots are finer. Unlike those relatives, the flight feathers lack strong barring. Its repeated metallic two-note quit-quit call is especially useful for identification (Wikipedia, general species account).

It ranges from Pakistan and the Indian subcontinent east through Myanmar and Thailand to Cambodia and Vietnam, using grassland, cropped fields and scrub. Birds feed on grass and weed seeds and supplement them with small invertebrates. Many populations respond to seasonal rain, becoming vocal and breeding when vegetation and food increase, which gives the species its English name. The nest is a concealed grass-lined depression on the ground, typical of Coturnix quail (Wikipedia, general species account).