A pair of plump Brown Quails sat picking at the grass, between the pellets of rabbit poo. I was out for a walk on North Head in Manly, and stopped amazed at the number of rabbits on a grassy patch. And lo, just a couple of metres away were the Brown Quails.

This is only the second time I’ve seen a Brown Quail. My first sighting was a few weeks ago, up near Grafton which is further north west of here.

At first I thought the birds were picking at the rabbit poo, but a closer look at the video shows that they were actually knocking the poo out of the way. Brown Quails eat plant shoots and insects. The birds live on the ground, but will fly to escape danger. This pair were nearby a handy bed of plants and grasses, which would provide shelter when needed.

This is one of the birds, sitting comfortably in between bouts of foraging:

This is the other bird, pecking at the grass:

Common name: Brown Quail
Scientific name: Coturnix ypsilophora
Approximate length: 17-20 cm
Date spotted: 9 August 2024 (late winter)
Location: Manly North Head, New South Wales, Australia: 33°48’38.0″S 151°17’59.3″E