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Both quail and the larger partridge are popular targets of hunters. The
best-known quail in the United States is called bobwhite in the North and
partridge in the South. California and mountain quail are found in humid
regions along the Pacific coast. In the arid Southwest are Gambel's,
scaled, and valley quail. Two kinds of Old World partridge that were
introduced in the Northwest and Middle West are the blue-gray European, or
Hungarian, partridge of Central Europe and the chukar partridge of India.
The plumage of the bobwhite is a mixture of mottled brown,
buff gray, and white. The combination makes the bird almost invisible when
it lies quietly in fields or woods. If anyone comes too close, it takes
flight with an explosive whirring of wings.
Quail nest in open, brushy fields that offer good cover. The
nest holds from 12 to 18 white eggs. The chicks leave the nest immediately
after hatching, but the family keeps together as a covey until the next
spring. At night the birds sleep on the ground in a closely packed ring
with heads facing outward to be ready for flight at any alarm.
Quail and partridge belong to the family Phasianinae. True
partridge of Europe and Asia are classified in the subfamily Phasianinae
or in the subfamily Perdicinae. The American quail belongs to the
subfamily Odontophorinae. The scientific name of the bobwhite is Colinus
virginianus; of the scaled quail, Callipepla squamata; of the California
and valley quail, Lophortyx californicus; of the Gambel's quail, Lophortyx
gambelii; of the mountain quail, Oreortyx pictus; of the Hungarian, or
European, partridge, Perdix perdix; and of the chukar partridge, Alectoris
chukar.
From: Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
The name quail designates birds belonging to two divisions
of the pheasant family, Phasianidae: the New World quail, subfamily
Odontophorinae; and the Old World quail, subfamily Phasianinae, which
also includes partridges.
Most New World quail are brightly marked and crested, and
the two sexes are distinct in color. They lack spurs on their tarsi and
have stronger bills than Old World quail. About 30 species are
distributed from southern Canada to northern Argentina, ranging from
deserts (for example, the scaled quail, Callipepla squamata) to cloud
forests (the bearded tree quail, Dendrortyx barbatus). None is migratory,
and most are considered game birds.
The bobwhite, Colinus virginianus, a North American game
bird, measures up to 28 cm (11 in) in length; the male has a white throat
and bands across each side of the head. It is considered beneficial to
farmers because its diet includes a wide variety of agricultural pests.
The Old World common quail, Coturnix coturnix, domesticated
in Japan and other countries, often migrates in dense flocks. The
sparrow-sized Chinese painted quail, Excalfactoria chinensis, is the
smallest known gallinaceous bird--that is, a bird related to the domestic
fowl.
Gary D. Schnell
The redleg, chukar, and hun (Hungarian) partridges range in
size between a large
quail ans a small ruffed grouse. The hun will weigh about 12 to 13 ounces
and
will usually serve 1 person. It's a good game species, and excellent
eating when
young and tender. As with grouse, in young birds the tips of the two
outermost,
leading, wing feathers are more pointed than the rest.
Bobwhite is probably the best known of the quail family, but others such as
Gambel's and the desert quail have their devotees across the country.
These are
small birds, 5 to 6 ounces, with tender, flavorful dark meat. Since they
are
similar to dove in having a short life span, you'll rarely come across a
tough
one. If the age is important to you, use the wing feather test as with
grouse.
Being small, quail are usually served 2 to each diner for a main course,
or 1
apiece for an appetizer.
Jacqueline E. Knight
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