Family Pheasants, Partridges, Turkeys, Grouse (Phasianidae)
Least Concern
Stubble Quail (Coturnix pectoralis)
Taxonomy
French: Caille des chaumes German: Schwarzbrustwachtel Spanish: Codorniz pectoral
Taxonomy:
Coturnix pectoralis
Gould
, 1837,New South Wales, Australia
.Distribution:
Australia (mainly in SE & SW); formerly throughout Tasmania, where now extremely rare or almost extinct (only three published records since 1977).
Introduced to Hawaiian Is and New Zealand (both unsuccessfully).
Descriptive notes
16–20 cm; male 82–120 g, female 75–125 g; wingspan 25–33 cm. Male has distinctive brick-red face and throat. Female similar to that of C. coturnix... read more
Voice
Male advertising call, repeated up to c. 10 times per minute for up to 15 minutes, is a liquid... read more
Habitat
Most habitats except forest, especially grassland, Spinifex thickets and well-drained... read more
Food and feeding
Primarily seeds of grasses, cultivated cereals and weeds; important species are Avena sativa, Hordeum vulgare, Lolium... read more
Breeding
Nesting Aug–Mar in most of range, but may vary according to local rainfall pattern, e.g. dry years in Victoria first clutch usually... read more
Movements
Most populations nomadic, with opportunistic distribution and reproductive cycles, moving mainly in... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Mace Lande: safe. In Australia, range has expanded and numbers have increased as result of human activities, with species moving into... read more
Has been considered closest to C. coturnix and C. japonica. Sometimes considered a race of extinct †C. novaezelandiae of New Zealand. Monotypic.