The term “quail” is a common name applied to small, ground-dwelling game birds found globally. These plump, short-tailed birds rely on powerful legs for running and short bursts of flight for escape, inhabiting diverse environments from arid scrublands to lush forests. The confusion over their classification stems from the fact that species sharing the quail name belong to two distinct evolutionary lineages. Understanding the total number of true quail species requires looking closely at avian taxonomy.
Defining Quail: The Two Taxonomic Families
The scientific community places all birds commonly called quail into two separate families within the order Galliformes. This division is based on morphology, geographic origin, and separate evolutionary history. Old World Quail belong to the family Phasianidae, which also includes pheasants and partridges. New World Quail are classified in their own family, Odontophoridae.
The distinction is significant because these two groups evolved independently to fill similar ecological niches. Phasianidae contains approximately 95 species sometimes referred to as quail or partridge, but only about 16 species are generally considered “true” Old World Quail. The Odontophoridae family is entirely composed of New World Quail, recognizing about 32 distinct species. This means the total number of true quail species globally is around 48.
Old World Quail: Key Species and Geography
Old World Quail are members of the Phasianidae family, primarily falling within the genus Coturnix and related genera. These birds are generally smaller and more streamlined than their New World cousins, with a smoother bill and often possessing spurs on their legs. Their distribution is vast, covering Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia.
A defining characteristic of many Old World species is their migratory behavior, a trait rare among galliform birds. The Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) is the most widespread species, breeding across Europe and Asia and migrating south to Africa and India for the winter. The Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) is widely domesticated and farmed globally for meat and eggs due to its rapid maturity. These Old World varieties tend to have cryptic, streaked brown plumage, which provides effective camouflage in the open grasslands they favor.
New World Quail: Key Species and Defining Traits
New World Quail, comprising the family Odontophoridae, are exclusively native to the Americas, ranging from Canada down to northern Argentina. Unlike Old World species, they are non-migratory and sedentary, preferring to stay in established territories. These birds possess a distinctively serrated or “toothed” bill edge, an adaptation for their varied diet of seeds, insects, and roots, a feature absent in Old World Quail.
A prominent feature of many New World species is the ornamental head crest or plume, which varies in shape and size across different genera. The Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is found across eastern North America and is known for forming tightly knit social groups called coveys. Members of the genus Callipepla, such as the California Quail and Gambel’s Quail, are recognizable by their comma-shaped crests that curl forward.
The Montezuma Quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae), found in Mexico and the Southwestern United States, exhibits a striking pattern featuring a bold black and white facial mask. All New World species are highly gregarious outside the breeding season, forming coveys that help with vigilance against predators. They prefer to run from danger, using short flights only as a last resort.
Birds Often Mistaken for Quail
Confusion about the number of quail types is compounded by several birds that share the name but are not taxonomically related to the true quail families. The most notable example is the Button Quail, which belongs to the family Turnicidae. Despite a superficial resemblance, Button Quail are not in the same order as true quail, belonging instead to the Charadriiformes, the order that includes shorebirds.
Button Quail can be physically distinguished by a unique morphological feature: they lack a hind toe, having only three toes facing forward. Furthermore, in many species, the female is the more colorful and dominant sex, exhibiting a polyandrous mating system. Other birds, such as some francolins and partridges, are also sometimes incorrectly called quail, though they are genetically closer to the Old World Quail lineage.