1.
Brown quail
–
The brown quail, also known as the swamp quail, silver quail and Tasmanian quail, is an Australasian true quail of the family Phasianidae. It is a small, ground-dwelling bird and is native to mainland Australia, Tasmania and Papua New Guinea and has introduced to New Zealand. The brown quail is a plump, stocky bird growing to a length of 17 to 22 centimetres, the colour is quite variable over the birds wide range. The male is reddish-brown speckled with black on the head and upper neck and mainly reddish-brown on back, the underparts range from buff or rufous to brown, but always with fine black chevron-shaped barring. The tail is short, dark brown with yellowish barring, the female is similar but rather paler. There are small spots on the shoulder of the female. The voice consists of a variety of calls with which the birds communicate as they move through dense vegetation. This species has been introduced to Fiji and New Zealand, in Australia it is mostly a lowland species but in New Zealand it is found at altitudes up to 1,000 metres and in New Guinea up to 3,700 metres. It was introduced to New Zealand in the 1860s and 1870s and is now present in North Island, the brown quail is a ground-dwelling bird that prefers to hide or run rather than fly. It is found in groups and feeds on grasses, seeds, shoots. If the group is startled and take to the air, the birds scatter by flying in different directions, brown quails form breeding pairs in the spring. These are incubated by the female for the three week incubation period. The newly hatched chicks are precocial and are cared for by parents for a while, with the male taking on the caring role after two weeks to allow the female to start on the next clutch of eggs. The brown quail has a wide range and is common in much of that range. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its status as being of least concern. Although the population has not been quantified, and may be declining slightly, marchant, S. & Higgins, P. J. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds
2.
Taxonomy (biology)
–
Taxonomy is the science of defining groups of biological organisms on the basis of shared characteristics and giving names to those groups. The exact definition of taxonomy varies from source to source, but the core of the remains, the conception, naming. There is some disagreement as to whether biological nomenclature is considered a part of taxonomy, the broadest meaning of taxonomy is used here. The word taxonomy was introduced in 1813 by Candolle, in his Théorie élémentaire de la botanique, the term alpha taxonomy is primarily used today to refer to the discipline of finding, describing, and naming taxa, particularly species. In earlier literature, the term had a different meaning, referring to morphological taxonomy, ideals can, it may be said, never be completely realized. They have, however, a value of acting as permanent stimulants. Some of us please ourselves by thinking we are now groping in a beta taxonomy, turrill thus explicitly excludes from alpha taxonomy various areas of study that he includes within taxonomy as a whole, such as ecology, physiology, genetics, and cytology. He further excludes phylogenetic reconstruction from alpha taxonomy, thus, Ernst Mayr in 1968 defined beta taxonomy as the classification of ranks higher than species. This activity is what the term denotes, it is also referred to as beta taxonomy. How species should be defined in a group of organisms gives rise to practical and theoretical problems that are referred to as the species problem. The scientific work of deciding how to define species has been called microtaxonomy, by extension, macrotaxonomy is the study of groups at higher taxonomic ranks, from subgenus and above only, than species. While some descriptions of taxonomic history attempt to date taxonomy to ancient civilizations, earlier works were primarily descriptive, and focused on plants that were useful in agriculture or medicine. There are a number of stages in scientific thinking. Early taxonomy was based on criteria, the so-called artificial systems. Later came systems based on a complete consideration of the characteristics of taxa, referred to as natural systems, such as those of de Jussieu, de Candolle and Bentham. The publication of Charles Darwins Origin of Species led to new ways of thinking about classification based on evolutionary relationships and this was the concept of phyletic systems, from 1883 onwards. This approach was typified by those of Eichler and Engler, the advent of molecular genetics and statistical methodology allowed the creation of the modern era of phylogenetic systems based on cladistics, rather than morphology alone. Taxonomy has been called the worlds oldest profession, and naming and classifying our surroundings has likely been taking place as long as mankind has been able to communicate
3.
Animal
–
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia. The animal kingdom emerged as a clade within Apoikozoa as the group to the choanoflagellates. Animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and independently at some point in their lives and their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later in their lives. All animals are heterotrophs, they must ingest other organisms or their products for sustenance, most known animal phyla appeared in the fossil record as marine species during the Cambrian explosion, about 542 million years ago. Animals can be divided broadly into vertebrates and invertebrates, vertebrates have a backbone or spine, and amount to less than five percent of all described animal species. They include fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, the remaining animals are the invertebrates, which lack a backbone. These include molluscs, arthropods, annelids, nematodes, flatworms, cnidarians, ctenophores, the study of animals is called zoology. The word animal comes from the Latin animalis, meaning having breath, the biological definition of the word refers to all members of the kingdom Animalia, encompassing creatures as diverse as sponges, jellyfish, insects, and humans. Aristotle divided the world between animals and plants, and this was followed by Carl Linnaeus, in the first hierarchical classification. In Linnaeuss original scheme, the animals were one of three kingdoms, divided into the classes of Vermes, Insecta, Pisces, Amphibia, Aves, and Mammalia. Since then the last four have all been subsumed into a single phylum, in 1874, Ernst Haeckel divided the animal kingdom into two subkingdoms, Metazoa and Protozoa. The protozoa were later moved to the kingdom Protista, leaving only the metazoa, thus Metazoa is now considered a synonym of Animalia. Animals have several characteristics that set apart from other living things. Animals are eukaryotic and multicellular, which separates them from bacteria and they are heterotrophic, generally digesting food in an internal chamber, which separates them from plants and algae. They are also distinguished from plants, algae, and fungi by lacking cell walls. All animals are motile, if only at life stages. In most animals, embryos pass through a stage, which is a characteristic exclusive to animals. With a few exceptions, most notably the sponges and Placozoa and these include muscles, which are able to contract and control locomotion, and nerve tissues, which send and process signals
4.
Chordate
–
Chordates are deuterostomes, as during the embryo development stage the anus forms before the mouth. They are also bilaterally symmetric coelomates, in the case of vertebrate chordates, the notochord is usually replaced by a vertebral column during development, and they may have body plans organized via segmentation. There are also additional extinct taxa, the Vertebrata are sometimes considered as a subgroup of the clade Craniata, consisting of chordates with a skull, the Craniata and Tunicata compose the clade Olfactores. Of the more than 65,000 living species of chordates, the worlds largest and fastest animals, the blue whale and peregrine falcon respectively, are chordates, as are humans. Fossil chordates are known from at least as early as the Cambrian explosion, Hemichordata, which includes the acorn worms, has been presented as a fourth chordate subphylum, but it now is usually treated as a separate phylum. The Hemichordata, along with the Echinodermata, form the Ambulacraria, the Chordata and Ambulacraria form the superphylum Deuterostomia, composed of the deuterostomes. Attempts to work out the relationships of the chordates have produced several hypotheses. All of the earliest chordate fossils have found in the Early Cambrian Chengjiang fauna. Because the fossil record of early chordates is poor, only molecular phylogenetics offers a prospect of dating their emergence. However, the use of molecular phylogenetics for dating evolutionary transitions is controversial and it has also proved difficult to produce a detailed classification within the living chordates. Attempts to produce family trees shows that many of the traditional classes are paraphyletic. While this has been known since the 19th century, an insistence on only monophyletic taxa has resulted in vertebrate classification being in a state of flux. Although the name Chordata is attributed to William Bateson, it was already in prevalent use by 1880, ernst Haeckel described a taxon comprising tunicates, cephalochordates, and vertebrates in 1866. Though he used the German vernacular form, it is allowed under the ICZN code because of its subsequent latinization, among the vertebrate sub-group of chordates the notochord develops into the spine, and in wholly aquatic species this helps the animal to swim by flexing its tail. In fish and other vertebrates, this develops into the spinal cord, the pharynx is the part of the throat immediately behind the mouth. In fish, the slits are modified to form gills, a muscular tail that extends backwards behind the anus. This is a groove in the wall of the pharynx. In filter-feeding species it produces mucus to gather food particles, which helps in transporting food to the esophagus and it also stores iodine, and may be a precursor of the vertebrate thyroid gland
5.
Bird
–
Birds, a subgroup of Reptiles, are the last living examples of Dinosaurs. Birds live worldwide and range in size from the 5 cm bee hummingbird to the 2.75 m ostrich. They rank as the class of tetrapods with the most living species, at ten thousand. Birds are the closest living relatives of crocodilians, the fossil record indicates that birds evolved from feathered ancestors within the theropod group of saurischian dinosaurs. True birds first appeared during the Cretaceous period, around 100 million years ago, Birds, especially those in the southern continents, survived this event and then migrated to other parts of the world while diversifying during periods of global cooling. Primitive bird-like dinosaurs that lie outside class Aves proper, in the broader group Avialae, have been found dating back to the mid-Jurassic period, around 170 million years ago. Birds have wings which are more or less developed depending on the species, the digestive and respiratory systems of birds are also uniquely adapted for flight. Some bird species of aquatic environments, particularly seabirds and some waterbirds, have evolved for swimming. Many species annually migrate great distances, Birds are social, communicating with visual signals, calls, and bird songs, and participating in such social behaviours as cooperative breeding and hunting, flocking, and mobbing of predators. The vast majority of species are socially monogamous, usually for one breeding season at a time, sometimes for years. Other species have breeding systems that are polygynous or, rarely, Birds produce offspring by laying eggs which are fertilised through sexual reproduction. They are usually laid in a nest and incubated by the parents, most birds have an extended period of parental care after hatching. Some birds, such as hens, lay eggs even when not fertilised, songbirds, parrots, and other species are popular as pets. Guano is harvested for use as a fertiliser, Birds prominently figure throughout human culture. About 120–130 species have become extinct due to human activity since the 17th century, human activity threatens about 1,200 bird species with extinction, though efforts are underway to protect them. Recreational birdwatching is an important part of the ecotourism industry, the first classification of birds was developed by Francis Willughby and John Ray in their 1676 volume Ornithologiae. Carl Linnaeus modified that work in 1758 to devise the taxonomic classification system currently in use, Birds are categorised as the biological class Aves in Linnaean taxonomy. Phylogenetic taxonomy places Aves in the dinosaur clade Theropoda, Aves and a sister group, the clade Crocodilia, contain the only living representatives of the reptile clade Archosauria
6.
Galliformes
–
The name derives from gallus, Latin for cock or rooster. Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds, wildfowl or just fowl are also often used for the Galliformes, but usually these terms also refer to waterfowl, and occasionally to other commonly hunted birds. This group has about 290 species, one or more of which are found in every part of the worlds continents. They are rarer on islands, and in contrast to the closely related waterfowl, are absent from oceanic islands—unless introduced there by humans. Several species have been domesticated during their long and extensive relationships with humans and this order contains five families, Phasianidae, Odontophoridae, Numididae, Cracidae, and Megapodiidae. They are important as seed dispersers and predators in the ecosystems they inhabit, many gallinaceous species are skilled runners and escape predators by running rather than flying. Males of most species are more colorful than the females, males often have elaborate courtship behaviors that include strutting, fluffing of tail or head feathers, and vocal sounds. The living Galliformes were once divided into seven or more families, despite their distinctive appearance, grouse and turkeys probably do not warrant separation as families due to their recent origin from partridge- or pheasant-like birds. The turkeys became larger after their ancestors colonized temperate and subtropical North America, the ancestors of grouse, though, adapted to harsh climates and could thereby colonize subarctic regions. Consequently, the Phasianidae are expanded in current taxonomy to include the former Tetraonidae and Meleagrididae as subfamilies, the Anseriformes and the Galliformes together make up the Galloanserae. They are basal among the living birds, and normally follow the Paleognathae in modern bird classification systems. This was first proposed in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy and has been the one major change of that proposed scheme that was almost universally adopted. However, the Galliformes as they were traditionally delimited are called Gallomorphae in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy and this is not a natural group, however, but rather an erroneous result of the now-obsolete phenetic methodology employed in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy. Phenetic studies do not distinguish between plesiomorphic and apomorphic characters, which leads to basal lineages appearing as monophyletic groups, historically, the buttonquails, mesites and the hoatzin were placed in the Galliformes, too. The former are now known to be adapted to an inland lifestyle, whereas the mesites are probably closely related to pigeons. The relationships of the hoatzin are entirely obscure, and it is treated as a monotypic order Opisthocomiformes to signify this. The earliest galliform-like fossils hail from the Late Cretaceous, most notably those of Austinornis lentus and its partial left tarsometatarsus was found in the Austin Chalk near Fort McKinney, Texas, dating to about 85 million years ago. This bird was quite closely related to Galliformes, but whether it was a part of these or belongs elsewhere in the little-known galliform branch of Galloanserae is not clear
7.
Phasianidae
–
The Phasianidae are a family of heavy, groundliving birds which includes pheasants, partridges, junglefowl, chickens, Old World quail, and peafowl. The family includes many of the most popular gamebirds, the family is a large one, and is occasionally broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae, and the Perdicinae. Sometimes, additional families and birds are treated as part of this family, for example, the American Ornithologists Union includes Tetraonidae, Numididae, and Meleagrididae as subfamilies in Phasianidae. They range in weight from 43 g in the case of the quail to 6 kg in the case of the Indian peafowl. If turkeys are included, rather than classified as a separate family, then the considerably heavier wild turkey reaches a maximum weight of more than 17 kg. Length in this family can vary from 12.5 cm in the king quail up to 300 cm in green peafowl. There is generally sexual dimorphism in size, with males tending to be larger than females and they are generally plump, with broad relatively short wings and strong legs. Many have a spur on their legs, a feature shared only with guineafowl, the bill is short and generally strong, particularly in species that dig for food. Males of the species often have brightly coloured plumage as well as facial ornaments such as wattles or crests. Phasianidae is mostly an Old World family, with a distribution that includes most of Europe and Asia, all of Africa except the driest deserts and down into much of eastern Australia, meleagridinae are native to the New World, while Tetraoninae are circumpolar. The greatest diversity of species is in Southeast Asia and Africa, the Congo peacock is specific to the African Congo. The subfamily Perdicinae has a more widespread distribution. Within their range they occupy almost every habitat except for the boreal forests. The family is generally sedentary and resident, although some quails undertake long migrations, several species in the family have been widely introduced around the world, particularly pheasants which have been introduced to Europe, Australia and the Americas, specifically for hunting purposes. Captive populations of peacocks and chickens have also escaped and become feral, most species either specialise in feeding on plant matter or are predatory, although the chicks of most species are insectivorous. In addition to the variation in diet there is an amount of variation in breeding strategies among the Phasianidae. Compared to birds in general there is a number of species that do not engage in monogamy. Nesting usually occurs on the ground, only the tragopans nest higher up in stumps of bushes, nests can vary from mounds of vegetation to slight scrapes in the ground
8.
New World quail
–
The New World quails or Odontophoridae are small birds only distantly related to the Old World quail, but named for their similar appearance and habits. The American species are in their own family Odontophoridae, whereas Old World quail are in the pheasant family Phasianidae, the family ranges from Canada through to southern Brazil, and two species, the California quail and the bobwhite quail, have been successfully introduced to New Zealand. The stone partridge and Nahans partridge, both found in Africa, seem to belong to the family, species are found across a variety of habitats from tropical rainforest to deserts, although few species are capable of surviving at very low temperatures. Thirty-four species are placed in ten genera, New World quail are generally short-winged, -necked and -tailed. The bills are short, slightly curved and serrated, the legs are short and powerful, and lack the spurs of many Old World galliformes. Although they are capable of bursts of strong flight New World quails prefer to walk. Plumage varies from dull to spectacular, and many species have ornamental crests or plumes on the head, there is moderate sexual dichromism in plumage, with males having brighter plumage. The New World quails are shy birds and generally live on the ground. They are generalists with regards to their diet, taking insects, seeds, vegetation, desert species in particular consume a lot of seeds. Most of the information about the biology of New World quails comes from North American species. The family is thought to be monogamous, and nest are constructed on the ground. Clutch sizes are large, a situation typical within the Galliformes, incubation takes between 16 and 30 days depending on the species. Chicks are precocial and quickly leave the nest to accompany the parents in large family groups, northern bobwhite and California quail are popular gamebirds, with many taken by hunters, but these species have also had their ranges increased to meet hunting demand and are not threatened. Some species are threatened by activity, such as the bearded tree quail of Mexico. Subspecies English names by Çınar 2015, Quail eggs List of Galliformes del Hoyo, J. Elliot, A. & Sargatal, J. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 2, New World Vultures to Guineafowl, ISBN 84-87334-15-6 gbwf. org - Quail, Aviculture & Conservation New World quail videos on the Internet Bird Collection
9.
Genus
–
A genus is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms in biology. In the hierarchy of classification, genus comes above species. In binomial nomenclature, the name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus. Felis catus and Felis silvestris are two species within the genus Felis, Felis is a genus within the family Felidae. The composition of a genus is determined by a taxonomist, the standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. Moreover, genera should be composed of units of the same kind as other genera. The term comes from the Latin genus, a noun form cognate with gignere, linnaeus popularized its use in his 1753 Species Plantarum, but the French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort is considered the founder of the modern concept of genera. The scientific name of a genus may be called the name or generic epithet. It plays a role in binomial nomenclature, the system of naming organisms. The rules for the names of organisms are laid down in the Nomenclature Codes. The standard way of scientifically describing species and other lower-ranked taxa is by binomial nomenclature, the generic name forms its first half. For example, the gray wolfs binomial name is Canis lupus, with Canis being the name shared by the wolfs close relatives. The specific name is written in lower-case and may be followed by names in zoology or a variety of infraspecific names in botany. Especially with these names, when the generic name is known from context. Because animals are typically only grouped within subspecies, it is written as a trinomen with a third name. Dog breeds, meanwhile, are not scientifically distinguished, there are several divisions of plant species and therefore their infraspecific names generally include contractions explaining the relation. For example, the genus Hibiscus includes hundreds of other species apart from the Rose of Sharon or common garden hibiscus, Rose of Sharon doesnt have subspecies but has cultivars that carry desired traits, such as the bright white H. syriaca Diana. Hawaiian hibiscus, meanwhile, includes several separate species, since not all botanists agree on the divisions or names between species, it is common to specify the source of the name using author abbreviations
10.
Old World quail
–
Old World quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds in the pheasant family Phasianidae. New World quail are found in the Galliformes, but are not in the same family. Buttonquails are not closely related at all, but are named for their similar appearance and they are presently found in the Turnicidae family in the Charadriiformes, more closely related to shorebirds, gulls and auks. The collective noun for a group of quail is flock, bevy or covey and they are seed eaters, but will also take insects and similar small prey. They nest on the ground and are capable of short, rapid bursts of flight, some species, such as the Japanese and common quail, are migratory and fly for long distances. Some quail are farmed in large numbers, the common and Japanese quail are both raised for table meat or to produce eggs. They are also hunted, often artificially stocked on game farms or to supplement wild populations. The dictionary definition of quail at Wiktionary
11.
Buttonquail
–
Buttonquail or hemipodes are members of a small family of birds, Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae. They inhabit warm grasslands in Asia, Africa, Europe, there are 16 species in two genera, with most species being found in the genus Turnix and only one being found in the genus Ortyxelos. Buttonquails are small, drab, running birds, which avoid flying, the female is the more richly-coloured of the sexes, and initiates courtship. The eggs hatch after a period of 12 or 13 days. Buttonquail were traditionally placed in Gruiformes or Galliformes, morphological, DNA-DNA hybridization and sequence data indicate that turnicids correctly belong to the shorebirds. They seem to be an ancient group among these, as indicated by the buttonquail-like Early Oligocene fossil Turnipax, the buttonquails are a group of small terrestrial birds. The smallest species is the quail-plover, the species in the genus Ortyxelos. The buttonquails in the genus Turnix range from 12 to 23 cm in length and they superficially resemble the true quails of the genus Coturnix, but differ from them in lacking a hind toe and a crop. The females of this family possess a unique vocal organ created by an enlarged trachea and inflatable bulb in the oesophagus. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn, buttonquail videos on the Internet Bird Collection
12.
Family (biology)
–
In biological classification, family is one of the eight major taxonomic ranks, it is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks above the rank of genus. In vernacular usage, a family may be named one of its common members, for example, walnuts and hickory trees belong to the family Juglandaceae. What does or does not belong to a family—or whether a family should be recognized at all—are proposed and determined by practicing taxonomists. There are no rules for describing or recognizing a family. Taxonomists often take different positions about descriptions of taxa, and there may be no broad consensus across the community for some time. Some described taxa are accepted broadly and quickly, but others only rarely, if at all, the naming of families is codified by various international codes. In zoological nomenclature, the names of animals end with the suffix -idae. The concept of rank at time was not yet settled, and in the preface to the Prodromus Magnol spoke of uniting his families into larger genera. Carolus Linnaeus used the word familia in his Philosophia botanica to denote groups of plants, trees, herbs, ferns, palms. He used this term only in the section of the book. In zoology, the family as an intermediate between order and genus was introduced by Pierre André Latreille in his Précis des caractères génériques des insectes. He used families in some but not in all his orders of insects, families can be used for evolutionary, palaeontological and generic studies because they are more stable than lower taxonomic levels such as genera and species
13.
Order (biology)
–
In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and recognized by the nomenclature codes. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, an immediately higher rank, superorder, may be added directly above order, while suborder would be a lower rank. A taxonomic unit, a taxon, in that rank, in that case the plural is orders. Example, The Juglans and Hickory trees belong to the family Juglandaceae, what does and does not belong to each order is determined by a taxonomist, as is whether a particular order should be recognized at all. Often there is no agreement, with different taxonomists each taking a different position. There are no rules that a taxonomist needs to follow in describing or recognizing an order. Some taxa are accepted almost universally, while others are recognised only rarely, for some groups of organisms, consistent suffixes are used to denote that the rank is an order. The Latin suffix -formes meaning having the form of is used for the name of orders of birds and fishes. The suffix -ales is for the name of orders of plants, fungi, for some clades covered by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a number of additional classifications are sometimes used, although not all of these are officially recognised. In their 1997 classification of mammals, McKenna and Bell used two levels between superorder and order, grandorder and mirorder. Michael Novacek inserted them at the same position, michael Benton inserted them between superorder and magnorder instead. This position was adopted by Systema Naturae 2000 and others, in botany, the ranks of subclass and suborder are secondary ranks pre-defined as respectively above and below the rank of order. Any number of further ranks can be used as long as they are clearly defined, the superorder rank is commonly used, with the ending -anae that was initiated by Armen Takhtajans publications from 1966 onwards. Carl Linnaeus was the first to apply it consistently to the division of all three kingdoms of nature in his Systema Naturae, for plants, Linnaeus orders in the Systema Naturae and the Species Plantarum were strictly artificial, introduced to subdivide the artificial classes into more comprehensible smaller groups. In French botanical publications, from Michel Adansons Familles naturelles des plantes and until the end of the 19th century, some of the plant families still retain the names of Linnaean natural orders or even the names of pre-Linnaean natural groups recognised by Linnaeus as orders in his natural classification. Such names are known as family names. In zoology, the Linnaean orders were used more consistently and that is, the orders in the zoology part of the Systema Naturae refer to natural groups. Some of his names are still in use
14.
Charadriiformes
–
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world, most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals, however, some are pelagic, some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick forest. The gulls and their allies, these are larger species which take fish from the sea. Several gulls and skuas will also take food items from beaches, or rob smaller species, the auks are coastal species which nest on sea cliffs and fly underwater to catch fish. The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, which has widely accepted in America. The auks, usually considered distinct because of their morphology, are more likely related to gulls. Following recent research, an arrangement may be as follows, This is a list of the charadriiform families. The buttonquails are of indeterminate or basal position in the Lari-Scolopaci sensu lato group, the arrangement as presented here is a consensus of the recent studies. Cladogram based on Baker, A. J. et al and that the Charadriiformes are an ancient group is also borne out by the fossil record. Much of the Neornithes fossil record around the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event is made up of bits, in many, this is probably due to convergent evolution brought about by semi-aquatic habits. Specimen VI9901 is probably a basal charadriiform somewhat reminiscent of a thick-knee, however, more complete remains of undisputed charadriiforms are known only from the mid-Paleogene onwards. Present-day orders emerged around the Eocene-Oligocene boundary, roughly 35-30 mya, basal or unresolved charadriiforms are, Morsoravis - a nomen nudum. (Sajóvölgyi Middle Miocene of Mátraszõlõs, Hungary Totanus teruelensis - scolopacid, the transitional shorebirds are a generally Mesozoic form taxon formerly believed to constitute the common ancestors of charadriiforms, waterfowl and flamingos. Taxa formerly considered graculavids are, Laornithidae - charadriiform, dakotornis Graculavidae gen. et sp. indet. They therefore present a set of examples to support the understanding of the evolution of parental care in avians generally. The ancestral avian most likely had a female parental care system, the shorebird ancestor specifically evolved from a bi-parental care system, yet the species within the clade Scolopacidae evolved from a male parental care system. These transitions might have occurred for several reasons, brooding density is correlated with male parental care. Male care systems in birds are shown to have a low breeding density while female care systems in birds have a high breeding density
15.
King quail
–
The king quail, also known as the blue-breasted quail, Asian blue quail, Chinese painted quail, or Chung-Chi, is a species of Old World quail in the family Phasianidae. This species is the smallest true quail, ranging in the wild from southeastern Asia to Oceania with 10 different subspecies, a failed attempt was made to introduce this species to New Zealand by the Otago Acclimatisation Society in the late 1890s. It is quite common in aviculture worldwide, where it is sometimes known as the button quail, which is the name of an only very distantly related family of birds. The male king quail comes in colors, including blue, brown, silver, maroon. They have orange feet which are hard and able to withstand a continuous life on the ground like many other game birds. The female is similar to the male and they can live up to 13 years in captivity but only 3-6 on average. In the wild they may live only 1.5 years, the eggs of king quail are a light, creamy-brown colour and slightly pointed at the top, roughly ovular in shape. Before incubation starts all the eggs composing the clutch will be laid, in captivity, if the female lays too many eggs, they should be taken, as after about 10 days they go cold and die. In captivity, the number of eggs in a clutch is 6 to 8. The chicks hatch after about 19 days, king quail are not listed as threatened on the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. This species is listed as threatened on the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, under this Act, an Action Statement for the recovery and future management of this species has not been prepared. On the 2007 advisory list of threatened vertebrate fauna in Victoria and this quail has been very popular to keep and breed for many years, numerous mutations have been developed. They are quite hardy once they have adjusted to their surroundings, yet these small quails are more than just effective scavengers. They provide colour, & charm to a part of the aviary that otherwise may not be used, & their breeding behavior is fascinating, a great advantage of these quails is that they will live exclusively on the ground, & will not interfere with other birds. The cost of purchasing and maintaining them is very little and these quails take only a small amount of time to feed and water and, in some cases, they have been known to become hand-tame. Best housed in pairs, trios, or quatuor in a planted aviary, some fighting among males will happen. It will be important to watch for over-bullying in the pecking order, as well as being cautious that other dynamics in social groups exist. King quail also are not generally required to be farmed in such a manner as the aforementioned quail species, poultry Layers Mash should be a staple part of the diet of captive quails. It is high in the kinds of protein, vitamins
16.
Quails as food
–
Both Old World and New World quail include edible game species. The common quail used to be favoured in French cooking. The common quail is also part of Polish cuisine, Maltese cuisine, Portuguese cuisine, Italian cuisine, quails are commonly eaten complete with the bones, since these are easily chewed and the small size of the bird makes it inconvenient to remove them. Quail that have fed on hemlock may induce acute renal failure due to accumulation of substances from the hemlock in the meat. A persistent myth holds that it is impossible to eat every day for a month. This has been the subject of a number of bets, however. This every-day-for-a-month estimation may have derived from a Biblical passage about quails. The children of Israel, having become bored with eating manna, any kind of food-borne pathogen may have been present, but hemlock poisoning may have been the most likely suspect, for the people to have died so quickly
17.
Quail eggs
–
Quail eggs are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, including Asia, Europe, and North America. In Japanese cuisine, they are used raw or cooked as tamago in sushi. In some other countries, quail eggs are considered less exotic, in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, a single hard-boiled quail egg is a common topping on hot dogs and hamburgers, often fixed into place with a toothpick. In the Philippines, kwek-kwek is a street food delicacy. In Vietnam, bags of boiled eggs are sold on street stalls as inexpensive beer snacks. In South Korea, large, inexpensive bags of boiled eggs are sold in grocery stores. In some Parts of Western Africa, the Easterners call the quail egg Ogazi Egg, the eggs are usually hawked at cheap prices by vendors in parks and roadsides
18.
Hunting
–
Hunting is the practice of killing or trapping animals, or pursuing or tracking them with the intent of doing so. Hunting wildlife or feral animals is most commonly done by humans for food, recreation, to predators that are dangerous to humans or domestic animals. Lawful hunting is distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species. The species that are hunted are referred to as game or prey and are usually mammals, Hunting can also be a means of pest control. However, hunting has also contributed to the endangerment, extirpation and extinction of many animals. The pursuit, capture and release, or capture for food of fish is called fishing, the practice of foraging or gathering materials from plants and mushrooms is also considered separate from hunting. The word hunt serves as both a noun and a verb, the noun has been dated to the early 12th century, act of chasing game, from the verb hunt. The meaning of a body of persons associated for the purpose of hunting with a pack of hounds is first recorded in the 1570s, meaning the act of searching for someone or something is from about 1600. The verb, Old English huntian to chase game, perhaps developed from hunta hunter, is related to hentan to seize, from Proto-Germanic huntojan, the general sense of search diligently is first recorded c. Hunting has a history and may well pre-date the rise of the species Homo sapiens. Evidence from western Kenya suggests that hunting has been occurring for more two million years. Furthermore, evidence exists that hunting may have one of the multiple environmental factors leading to the Holocene extinction of megafauna. North American megafauna extinction was coincidental with the Younger Dryas impact event, however, in other locations such as Australia, humans are thought to have played a very significant role in the extinction of the Australian megafauna that was widespread prior to human occupation. The closest surviving relatives of the species are the two species of Pan, the common chimpanzee and bonobos. Common chimpanzees have a diet that includes troop hunting behaviour based on beta males being led by an alpha male. Bonobos have also observed to occasionally engage in group hunting. With the establishment of language, culture, and religion, hunting became a theme of stories and myths, as well as such as dance. Hunting was a component of hunter-gatherer societies before the domestication of livestock
19.
Flock (birds)
–
A flock is a group of birds conducting flocking behavior in the midst of flight, or while foraging. The term is akin to the herd amongst mammals, the benefits of aggregating in flocks are varied and flocks will form explicitly for specific purposes. Flocking also has costs, particularly to socially subordinate birds, which are bullied by more dominant birds, birds may also sacrifice feeding efficiency in a flock in order to other benefits. The principal benefits are safety in numbers and increased foraging efficiency and these multi-species flocks are usually composed of small numbers of many species, increasing the benefits of numbers but also increasing potential competition for resources. Group size is an aspect of the social environment of gregarious animals. However, one has to be careful when using group size measures to characterize animal sociality, in Denmark, there is a biannual phenomenon known as sort sol, when flocks of European starlings gather in vast numbers, creating complex shapes against the sky
20.
Scaled quail
–
The scaled quail, also commonly called blue quail or cottontop, is a species of the New World quail family. It is a bluish gray bird found in the regions of the Southwestern United States to Central Mexico. This species is an offshoot of the genus Callipepla, diverging in the Pliocene. This bird is named for the appearance of its breast. Along with its markings, the bird is easily identified by its white crest that resembles a tuft of cotton. The nest is typically a grass-lined hollow containing 9–16 speckled eggs, when disturbed, it prefers to run rather than fly. Widespread and common throughout its range, the quail is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Scaled quail has formed several subspecies,3 of which range into the USA, the nominate subspecies, it is only found on the Central Plateau of Mexico. The most common subspecies, it occurs from Arizona and New Mexico to Colorado and just into Oklahoma, and western Texas, northern Chihuahua and it is paler than the nominate subspecies. A form of habitat, it is only found in the area where the states of Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma meet. It is the palest subspecies, adapted to dry and sandy habitat, found in southern Texas from Eagle Pass and San Antonio south to adjacent northwestern Mexico. Similar individuals are found in the extreme northeast and west of the species range. The chestnut brown belly distinguishes it from all subspecies, it is also darker than the other two found in the USA. According to Ligon, the distribution of scaled quail is largely coextensive with mesquite, condalia, in Oklahoma, Scaled Quail occur in sand sagebrush -grassland, pinyon-juniper, and shortgrass High Plains. Sand sagebrush-grasslands include sand sagebrush, soapweed yucca, skunkbush sumac, Scaled Quail in Oklahoma inhabit rough or rolling land, especially where sagebrush, mesquite, cactus, yucca, juniper, sand shinnery oak, and rocks furnish cover. In Colorado, Scaled Quail occupy sand sagebrush and/or yucca stands on sandy soils, Scaled Quail made little or no use of sparse cholla-grassland, riparian areas, reseeded grasslands, or shortgrass prairie disclimax. In Arizona, pairing and maximum dispersal is complete by mid-June, nesting probably does not begin until early July. In Oklahoma, egg laying usually starts in late April, completed clutches have been found as early as May 8
21.
Elegant quail
–
The elegant quail is a species of New World quail endemic to Pacific-slope thorn forest of north-western Mexico, from southern Sonora to Nayarit. These are common, mainly ground-dwelling birds, and the IUCN has rated them as being a species of least concern, the elegant quail grows to a length of about 25 cm. The male has a long, straight, golden-buff crest. In other ways the sexes are similar in appearance, being mainly grey with spotting and streaking in black, brown and white, the beak is black, the irises are brown and the legs dark grey to black. This bird can be distinguished from the otherwise similar scaled quail, California quail, elegant quails are found only in Mexico, on the Pacific slopes of the mountain ranges in the northwest of the country at altitudes of up to 1,000 m. Their range extends from Sonora and southwestern Chihuahua to northern Jalisco and they are found in thorny scrub and deciduous forest, on open ground. When disturbed they either freeze or run through the undergrowth, taking to the only with reluctance. The elegant quail has a range with an area of occupation estimated at 118,000 km2. It is a bird and its population is thought to be rising as degradation of the forest creates the open areas it likes. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its status as being of least concern. Elegant Quail photo gallery VIREO Photo, Article – Field Guide to the Birds of Ranch Lobos
22.
California quail
–
The California quail, also known as the California valley quail or valley quail, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. These birds have a curving crest or plume, made of six feathers, that droops forward, black in males and brown in females, males have a dark brown cap and a black face with a brown back, a grey-blue chest and a light brown belly. Females and immature birds are mainly grey-brown with a light-colored belly and their closest relative is Gambels quail which has a more southerly distribution and, a longer crest at 2.5 in, a brighter head and a scalier appearance. The two species separated about 1–2 million years ago, during the Late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene and it is the state bird of California. One of their daily activities is a dust bath. A group of quail will select an area where the ground has been turned or is soft. They then wriggle about in the indentations they have created, flapping their wings and ruffling their feathers and they seem to prefer sunny places in which to create these dust baths. An ornithologist is able to detect the presence of quail in an area by spotting the circular indentations left behind in the soft dirt, although this bird coexists well at the edges of urban areas, it is declining in some areas as human populations increase. These birds forage on the ground, often scratching at the soil and they can sometimes be seen feeding at the sides of roads. Their diet consists mainly of seeds and leaves, but they eat some berries and insects, for example. If startled, these birds explode into short rapid flight, called flushing, given a choice, they will normally escape on foot. Their breeding habitat is shrubby areas and open woodlands in western North America, the nest is a shallow scrape lined with vegetation on the ground beneath a shrub or other cover. The female usually lays approximately 12 eggs, once hatched, the young associate with both adults. Often, families group together, into multifamily communal broods which include at least two females, multiple males and many offspring, males associated with families are not always the genetic fathers. In good years, females lay more than one clutch, leaving the hatched young with the associated male and laying a new clutch. They have a variety of including the social chicago call, contact pips. During the breeding season, males utter the agonistic squill and will often interrupt their social mates chicago call with a squill, the California quail is the state bird of California. It was established as the bird in 1931
23.
Gambel's quail
–
The Gambels quail is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It inhabits the regions of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and Sonora, also New Mexico-border Chihuahua. The Gambels quail is named in honor of William Gambel, a 19th-century naturalist, the species is not as widely introduced as the related California quail. It was however released on San Clemente Island in 1912 by Charles T. Howland et al. where it is still established. The Callipepla gambelii birds are recognized by their top knots. Gambels quail have bluish-gray plumage on much of their bodies, and males have copper feathers on the top of their heads, black faces, the birds average length is 11 in with a wingspan of 14–16 in. These birds have short, rounded wings and long, featherless legs. Its diet consists primarily of plant matter and seeds, Gambels quail can be commonly confused with California quail due to similar plumage. The two species are sister taxa which diverged during the Late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene,1 to 2 mya, Gambels quail primarily move about by walking and can move surprisingly fast through brush and undergrowth. They are a species and are rarely seen in flight. Any flight is short and explosive, with many rapid wingbeats. In the late summer, fall, and winter, the adults, in the spring, Gambels quail pair off for mating and become very aggressive toward other pairs. The chicks are decidedly more insectivorous than adults, gradually consuming more plant matter as they mature, Gambels quail are monogamous and rarely breed in colonies. The female typically lays 10–12 eggs in a simple scrape concealed in vegetation, incubation lasts from 21–23 days, usually performed by the female and rarely by the male. The chicks are precocial, leaving the nest with their parents within hours of hatching, there is an annual hunt for this bird in some places. The hunting season lasts from October to February. Gambels Quail videos at Tree of Life Gambels Quail media, stamps with Range Map at bird-stamps. org Gambels Quail photo gallery at VIREO Interactive range map of Callipepla gambelii at IUCN Red List maps
24.
Montezuma quail
–
The Montezuma quail is a stubby, secretive New World quail of Mexico and some nearby parts of the United States. It is also known as Mearnss quail, the quail. At about 22 cm, it is one of the shortest quails of North America, although it weighs 180 g and it has an even plumper build and shorter tail than other quails. Both sexes have the back and wing coverts tan with longitudinal light-buff streaks formed by the feather shafts, a crest on the nape makes the profile distinctively long front-to-back. The bill is black above and bluish-gray below, the adult males have a striking, swirling black-and-white face pattern. A single tan plume lies flat over the crest and their sides are blue-gray with bold spots, which in northern birds are white and in southern birds are white towards the front and chestnut towards the back. The middle of the chest and belly is dark brown in northern birds, females have a suggestion of the males face pattern. Their underparts are brown with a few fine black shaft streaks. Juveniles resemble females, but the underparts are grayish with white shaft streaks, immature males develop the adult side pattern early but do not develop the face pattern till early winter. An unusual feature of this species is the long, sickle-shaped claws, the assembly or territorial call is six to nine notes descending in pitch, a far-carrying, descending, quavering whinny. The males song for pairing is an eerie, melancholy, vibrant, descending whistle vwirrrrr or an insect-like buzzing that starts at a high pitch and it is given from the ground, whereas other quails sing on such perches as the tops of fenceposts or bushes. There are other calls as well, the southern populations are sometimes considered a separate species, Cyrtonyx sallei. It is absent from deserts and the Río Balsas valley, there are five subspecies divided into two plumage types, northern and southern, that intergrade in central Veracruz. The habitat is woods, most often oak but also pine-oak and juniper. Slopes of hills and canyons are particularly favored, the range is decreasing and becoming fragmented. In fall, Montezuma quail do not form groups, as most American quail do. An average covey consists of eight birds, just parents and their offspring, at night, birds in a covey roost on southeast-facing slopes, gathered around a rock or tussock, facing outward. A pair or covey typically forages within 50 m of the place where it foraged the day before, coveys territories in fall and winter are only 1 to 5 hectares, in the breeding season, pairs spread out and territories may be as big as 50 hectares
25.
Northern bobwhite
–
The northern bobwhite, Virginia quail or bobwhite quail is a ground-dwelling bird native to the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean. It is a member of the group of known as New World quails. They were initially placed with the Old World quails in the pheasant family, the name bobwhite derives from its characteristic whistling call. Despite its secretive nature, the northern bobwhite is one of the most familiar quails in eastern North America because it is frequently the only quail in its range, habitat degradation has likely contributed to the northern bobwhite population in eastern North America declining by roughly 85% from 1966-2014. This population decline is apparently range-wide and continuing, there are 21 subspecies of northern bobwhite, many of which are hunted extensively as game birds. This is a quail and is the only small galliform native to eastern North America. The bobwhite can range from 24 to 28 cm in length with a 33 to 38 cm wingspan, as indicated by body mass, weights increase in birds found further north, as corresponds to Bergmanns rule. In Mexico, northern bobwhites weigh from 129 to 159 g whereas in the north they average 170 to 173 g and large males can attain as much as 255 g. Among standard measurements, the chord is 9.7 to 11.7 cm, the tail is 5 to 6.8 cm the culmen is 1.3 to 1.6 cm. It has the typical chunky, rounded shape of a quail, the bill is short, curved and brown-black in color. Males have a throat and brow stripe bordered by black. The overall rufous plumage has gray mottling on the wings, white scalloped stripes on the flanks, females are similar but are duller overall and have a buff throat and brow without the black border. Both sexes have pale legs and feet, there are twenty-one recognized subspecies in 3 groups. Plant sources include seeds, wild berries, partridge peas. It forages on the ground in areas with some spots of taller vegetation. The northern bobwhite can be found year-round in agricultural fields, grassland, open areas, roadsides. It is absent from the tip of Florida and the highest elevations of the Appalachian Mountains. Isolated populations have been introduced in Oregon and Washington, the northern bobwhite has also been introduced to New Zealand
26.
Spot-bellied bobwhite
–
The spot-bellied bobwhite is a ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It is sometimes considered to be conspecific with the crested bobwhite, the spot-bellied bobwhite occurs in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica in open savanna with bushes and trees and other open woodland. This species is 22–24 cm long and shows geographically variable male plumage amongst its six subspecies, all forms have a brown back with black spotting on the nape. The head has a supercilium, a dark line through the eye, a white or brown throat. The lower belly is spotted but the rest of the underparts are pale, entirely spotted, the male weighs 140 g on average. The female is duller than the male with a buff supercilium and mottled throat, the song, most often given by males in spring and summer, is a rising, scratchy, bob-Wight. The spot-bellied bobwhite forms coveys, groups of three to 15 birds during the non-breeding season, both males and females incubate nests, with most nests predominantly incubated by females. About 10 white eggs are laid, the chicks are precocial and will leave the nest few hours after hatching. This shy species feeds on seeds and insects, the latter especially during the breeding season and it is most active in the early morning and evening. Madge and McGowan, Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse ISBN 0-7136-3966-0
27.
Crested bobwhite
–
The crested bobwhite is a species of bird in the family Odontophoridae. It is found in northern South America, extending through Panama to just reach Costa Rica and it also occurs on Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, adult crested bobwhite are about 178 to 216 millimetres long. The sexes are similar in appearance. The long feathers on the fore-head and crown are buff or white. The back and sides of the neck are marbled in black and white, the upper parts are mottled black, brown and grey. The underparts are pale, with buff, cinnamon and black markings, the eye is brown, the beak black and the legs bluish-grey. The female is browner than the male. The crested bobwhite occurs in groups on the ground in or near thick cover. The diet consists of buds, shoots, leaves and small invertebrates, the males call, heard in the breeding season, is distinctive, a fast, husky, three-syllable quoit bob-white or a two-syllable oh, wheet. The crested bobwhite has a wide range and is common in much of that range. The population seems to be on the increase and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its status as being of least concern
28.
Wood quail
–
The wood quails are birds in the genus Odontophorus of the New World quail family, which are residents in forests in the Americas. These are shy species, and as a consequence are amongst the most difficult galliform birds to study or even observe. The best chance of seeing wood quail is at dawn or dusk, nevertheless, when protected, they can become surprisingly tame, as has been shown at Paz de las Aves near Mindo, Ecuador, with the dark-backed wood quail. Wood quail are 22–30 cm long, dumpy, short-tailed, stout-billed partridge-like birds with a bushy crest, the upper parts are dark brown, and the under parts are black, grey, brown, or rufous. Some species have a black and white throat or facial markings. The sexes are similar, but in species, the female has a duller-coloured crest. The advertising calls are loud and distinctive duets consisting of repeated phrases, for most wood quail, information has mainly come from specimens, and breeding behaviour and habits are little known. The majority of species, including the relatively widespread spotted wood quail have never had their nests described and those species for which the feeding habits are known forage on the ground, scratching at the soil for seeds, fallen fruit, and insects. Wood quail are typically shy and wary, they make good their escape on foot. All wood quail species have been affected by hunting and, in particular. Several species with restricted ranges are now considered threatened
29.
Spot-winged wood quail
–
The spot-winged wood quail is a species of bird in the family Odontophoridae. It is found in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay and its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry lowland forests. Its population is thought to be declining but at a moderate rate, male and female spot-winged wood quails are similar in appearance but the female is slightly smaller. The bird has a crown with a loose crest, speckled with buff. The supercilium and the chest-band are reddish-cinnamon, the upper parts are greyish-brown, with dark vermiculations and speckling, with the individual feathers on neck, mantle, back and scapulars having white streaks beside the shaft. The sides of the head, throat and underparts are slatey-grey, the legs are dark grey, the bill is blackish, the iris brown and the bare area around the eyes red. The length range is about 26 to 30 cm, juveniles are similar in colouring but have reddish bills, more speckled upper parts and grey underparts flushed with rust and speckled with white. The spot-winged wood quail is native to eastern and southeastern Brazil, the northeastern part of Argentina. It inhabits dry lowland forest, including secondary forest, at not exceeding 1,600 m. Spot-winged wood quails tend to move around on the ground by day in groups of typically six to eight. When disturbed they move off into the undergrowth and seldom take to the wing, the birds sometimes freeze and crouch. The diet includes fallen nuts of Araucaria and other trees, the berries of pokeweed and other plants, at night these birds roost well off the ground in trees. They are monogamous and breeding takes place between August and November, the nest is built on the ground with a side entrance and a roof of dead leaves. About four white eggs are laid which soon become discoloured, the female incubates the clutch, which hatch after about eighteen days, and she also rears the chicks without help. The spot-winged wood quail has an extensive distribution and is common in at least part of its range
30.
Dark-backed wood quail
–
The dark-backed wood quail is a species of bird in the Odontophoridae family. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador and its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss
. PMID 15313988.
"Quail". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
"