Japanese Quail
Japan quail
The Japan quail (Coturnix japonica), also known as Japanese quail, is a species of bird in the pheasant family -like ( Phasianidae ), which belongs to the order of Galliformes ( Galliformes ). It is distributed in East Asia and is similar in habit, behavior and lifestyle of occurring in Central Europe quail.
Because of the population decline, the IUCN classifies the Japanese quail since 2010 as a small extent at risk ( near threatened ).
Appearance
Japan quails reach a body length of about 20 inches and weigh between 90 and 100 grams.
Adult males have a gray-brown overall color with a variety of red-brown and black strokes. In the middle of the head and the sides of the apex, the white stem strokes the feathers forming three longitudinal stripes. Throat, the front portion of the neck and cheeks are pale brown. About the fillet center runs many copies a dark brown stripe, which widens in the lower throat area and merges into a bib. Other individuals have only a small, oval brown spot here. The upper chest is cream colored with small white Längsstricheln and goes in the lower chest area into a white gray that extends across the abdomen.
The upper back has black stripes and spots, by the white shaft streaks of feathers results in a longitudinal design. The wings are gray. Wing-coverts and flight feathers have a cross drawing of thin whitish stripes. The rump and upper tail are dark with a cross drawing from wide black and narrow red and white stripes. In some specimens there is a clearly pronounced longitudinal drawing in the form of a bright shank strip on the tail feathers, the transverse bands are reduced or even completely absent.
The females of the same largely males. However, the shaft lines on the collar are a bit sparse and bigger with them. The chest has not infrequently on a yellow tinge.
Juveniles are similar to females colored, but their plumage is somewhat dull. The Dunenjungen are yellowish beige pale on the underparts. The body top is orange beige with a dark forehead spot. Starting from the end spot two parallel, apex dark stripes run up to the neck. A black and brown middle stripe stretches across the middle of the back to the tail. On the wing two dark stripes found.
Area of distribution and habitat
The distribution area of Japan quail extends from northern Mongolia, Transbaikalia and the Amur region in the south to the central parts of China and to the west up to the Uvs Nuur basin of and Nanchang. It also occurs on the Japanese islands, the southern Kuril Islands and the Sakhalin.
Unlike the quail, the quail Japan has a preference for moist Auwiesen, where she avoids tall grass. In Primorye, the typical habitat of the Japanese quail moist cotton-grass meadows in groves of Japanese alder with dry surveys and shrub vegetation.
Way of life
In general, Japan quails live singly or in pairs. They feed on the seeds of various shrubs and especially grasses. They also take insects and green plant stems to himself.
In addition to the mating call of the male, which can be heard over the entire summer, no other voices to the Japanese quail are described. Due to the long Balzaktivität the male is assumed that two years broods for the type are typical. The nest is on the ground. It usually consists of 10 to 15 eggs.
Japan quails and humans
Japan quails are kept as poultry. Be consumed both the meat and the eggs. From the wild to domesticated quail Japan Japan quails differ significantly now. Thus, the average mass of eggs of the domesticated quail Japan corresponds to 146 % of the mass of the wild Japanese quail. Males reach a weight of 140 grams and females 120 and are significantly heavier than the wild type.