I was recently on Old Grafton Road, in the vicinity of Glen Innes, NSW. On the road was a group of six to seven little birds that I’d never seen before. They were clustered together, but were quite timid and fled into the undergrowth when I got out of the car to take a look.

I thought they must be some type of small pheasant. They turned out to be Brown Quails. Evidently a group of quails is called a covey.

Here’s the best picture that I have of any of them.

This picture of two of them shows the brownish eye:

Here are five of them clustered together:

It’s exciting to see a species for the first time! In the past, I’ve spotted little birds dashing into the undergrowth in various places, which might have been quails, but I’ve never before caught a good look.

Common name: Brown Quail
Scientific name: Coturnix ypsilophora
Approximate length: 17-20 cm
Date spotted: 5 July 2024 (winter)
Location: Old Grafton Road, NSW. Approximate map reference: 29°40’29.5″S 152°04’42.0″E