Category Archives: Quail
Brown Quails in Manly
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
A covey of Brown Quails on Old Grafton Road
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
Sydney Birder 