Mary Allen
The quail is a small bird. An adult quail is about 18 centimeters long and weighs about 100 grams. Quail can be found almost everywhere in Europe, as well as in parts of Africa and Asia. As migratory birds, our quail spend the winter in warmer Africa.
In nature, quail mostly live in open fields and meadows. They feed mainly on insects, seeds, and small parts of plants. Some breeders also keep quail. They use their eggs like others use the eggs of domestic hens.
People rarely see the quail because they like to hide. However, the song that males use to attract females can be heard up to half a kilometer away. Usually quail mate only once a year, in May or June. A female quail lays between seven and twelve eggs. It incubates these in a hollow in the ground, which the female pads with blades of grass.
The biggest enemy of the quail is a man because he is destroying more and more of the quail’s habitat. This is done by cultivating large fields in agriculture. The poisons that many farmers spray also harm the quail. In addition, the quail are hunted by humans with firearms. Their meat and eggs have been considered a delicacy for many centuries. However, the flesh can also be poisonous to humans. This is because quail feed on plants that are harmless to the quail but poisonous to humans.
In biology, the quail forms its own animal species. It is related to the chicken, the partridge, and the turkey. Together with many other species, they form the order of Galliformes. The quail is the smallest bird in this order. She is also the only one of them to be a migratory bird.