Quail are small game birds and come in two main types - the Old World (Conurnix) and New World (Odontophorine). The Coturnix are dark brown birds with a pale streak over the eyes and on top of the head down the neck. The Euopean quail occurs in the wild in Southern England and Ireland. Quail are kept for their meat and for eggs.

Bones of quail have been found in caves in Chudleigh and at Kents Cavern in Torquay, both in Devon. Some bones have been dated to some 80,000 years ago. The ancient Egyptians drew them. They also caught, salted and dried them for food as the quail is migratory. There are numerous references to quail in literature. Domestication of quail was relatively easy because they are gregarious & grain eaters. However, they do have several wild instincts and are good fliers given the chance!  

There will be more about quail appearing in due course, but if you want more information, ring Mervyn Anstey - 01363 774721 or mobiles 07967 244659 or 07793 820864.

We do not have any pictures of quail at the moment. There will be pictures when the pages are developed.