Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey,[1] or bevy.[2]

Quail
Brown quail ("Coturnix ypsilophora")
Brown quail (Synoicus ypsilophorus)
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Superfamily: Phasianoidea
Groups included
Cladistically included but traditionally excluded taxa
Call of a male common quail (Coturnix coturnix)
Quail Bird in Shankipara, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New World quail are placed in the family Odontophoridae. The species of buttonquail are named for their superficial resemblance to quail, and form the family Turnicidae in the order Charadriiformes. The king quail, an Old World quail, often is sold in the pet trade, and within this trade is commonly, though mistakenly, referred to as a "button quail". Many of the common larger species are farm-raised for table food or egg consumption, and are hunted on game farms or in the wild, where they may be released to supplement the wild population, or extend into areas outside their natural range. In 2007, 40 million quail were produced in the United States.[3]

New World

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Old World

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Quail in cookery

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Quail that have fed on hemlock (e.g., during migration) may induce acute kidney injury due to accumulation of toxic substances from the hemlock in the meat; this problem is referred to as "coturnism".[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ USGS - Animal Congregations, or What Do You Call a Group Archived March 20, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Bevy", Merriam-Webster.com.
  3. ^ 2007 Census of Agriculture: United States Summary and State Data Volume 1 • Geographic Area Series • Part 51 AC-07-A-51 (PDF). USDA. February 2009. p. 423. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  4. ^ "Japanese Quail - Lancaster County 4-H (japanesequail) - Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County - University of Nebraska–Lincoln". lancaster.unl.edu. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Web Developer Network. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  5. ^ Tsironi M, Andriopoulos P, Xamodraka E, et al. (2004). "The patient with rhabdomyolysis: have you considered quail poisoning?". CMAJ. 171 (4): 325–6. doi:10.1503/cmaj.1031256. PMC 509041. PMID 15313988.
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