Stats

Lifespan

2-5 years

Size

Small

Diet

Omnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Flock

Biome

Temperate grassland

Range

East Asia

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Near Threatened

About

Japanese quail are small, plump birds that live in the forests and grasslands of East Asia. They have a unique ability to reproduce rapidly, with females laying an average of 24 eggs per year.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A large clutch of eggs sits in a shallow ground scrape, incubated by the hen until the brood hatches together.
2. 2.
   hatchling chick

   A downy chick leaves the nest within hours of hatching and pecks for food alongside the hen.
3. 3.
   juvenile

   A juvenile grows its first body feathers, learns to fly short bursts, and stays in the brood until fledged.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown with adult plumage.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Galliformes

Family

Phasianidae

Genus

Coturnix

Species

Coturnix japonica