Overview
Its legs are yellow. The colour of the eyes varies from brown in the juvenile to red in the breeding male. The species is sexually dimorphic. The male's plumage is mostly dark slaty-blue, with rufous patches on its wings. The male has a black beak, a brown head, and a black and white throat. There is a white patch on its breast. Its flight feathers are brown. The forehead, sides of the head and neck, and flanks of the female are orange-buff. Its crown is brown, with black mottles. The female's beak is brownish. Its underparts are buff, with black bars, and its upperparts have black and rufous mottles and streaks. The juvenile is similar to the female.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Bird
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Coturnix
- Species
- adansonii
Habitat
The habitat of the blue quail excludes dry areas. Inhabiting mainly grassland and fields, the birds typically live near rivers or other bodies of water.
Diet
Seeds, insects, plant material, molluscs.
Behavior
The blue quail is migratory. It often migrates to regions at the start of the rainy season and leaves early in the dry season. Its voice is a piping whistle, kew kew yew. It also gives the whistle tir-tir-tir when it is flushed. The blue quail is monogamous. The nest is a scrape. Eggs are usually laid at the beginning of the rainy season. There are 3 to 9 olive-brown eggs in a clutch. The eggs have reddish and purplish freckles. They are incubated by the female for around 16 days. The chicks are precocial.
Hunting
Hunted across its range.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by IUCN.