Rain Quail
Coturnix coromandelica
Streaky, small football-shaped bird, most often seen in flight as it flushes from almost underfoot. Male unmistakable, with natty black-and-white face pattern and triangular black splotch on the chest that resembles spilled paint. Female very similar to Common and Japanese Quails, distinguished by range and by proximity to a male. Inhabits grassy, open areas such as farmland, meadows, and grasslands. Disperses after breeding, occasionally to higher elevations. Male’s song is an odd, songbird-like pair of repeated high squeaks.
识别特征
The rain quail lacks barring on primaries. The male has a black breast-patch and distinctive head pattern of black and white. The female is difficult to separate from female common quail and Japanese quail, although the spots on the breast are more delicate. It is 6–6.5 in (15–17 cm) and weighs roughly 2.25–2.5 oz (64–71 g).<p>The call is a metallic pair of quit- quit nots, constantly repeated mornings and evenings, and in the breeding season also during the night. It is quite unmistakably distinct from the call of the common grey quail.
分类信息
The rain quail was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the quail like birds in the genus Tetrao and coined the binomial name Tetrao coromandelicus. Gmelin based his description on "La Petite caille de Gingi" that had been described in 1782 by the French naturalist Pierre Sonnerat in his Voyage aux Indes orientales et a la Chine. The rain quail is now one of six species placed in the genus Coturnix that was introduced in 1764 by the French naturalist François Alexandre Pierre de Garsault. The genus name is the Latin for the common quail. The specific epithet coromandelica is from the type location, the Coromandel Coast of southeast India. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- 学名
- Coturnix coromandelica
- 命名信息
- (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
- 目
- Galliformes
- 科
- Phasianidae
- 属
- Coturnix
分布与栖息地
Grassland, cropped fields, and scrub in the Indus valley of central Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, ranging across the Gangetic plains, and parts of peninsular continental India. Mostly seen in winter further south.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
The rain quail feeds on seeds of grasses and other plants, insect larvae and small invertebrates. Breeding takes place between March and October, but chiefly after the start of the southwesterly monsoon season in June. The eggs are laid in a scrape in the ground, sometimes in the open under a Euphorbia or similar bush. There are usually six to eight eggs in the clutch. The incubation period is sixteen to eighteen days. The chicks are able to leave the nest soon after they have hatched and remain with their parents for about eight months.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- stable
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Tawny-winged Woodcreeper
Dendrocincla anabatina
Fairly common, but easily overlooked, medium-sized woodcreeper of humid tropical forest; infrequently seen away from ant swarms. Found singly or in small groups, often with Ruddy and Northern Barred Woodcreepers at army ant swarms. Mainly perches upright on slender trunks fairly low to the ground, less often at middle levels; often rather sluggish. Combination of face pattern, contrasting rusty wings, and behavior is distinctive. Usually rather quiet; at times gives plaintive mew calls and a prolonged chipping rattled song.
Lattice-tailed Trogon
Trogon clathratus
This large trogon is the only one in its range with a pale eye. Male is green and red with no white band separating the chest from the belly; female similar but gray-brown instead of green. Otherwise, a typical trogon with upright posture, squared-off tail, and stout yellow bill. Sits still at middle levels in trees, slowly turning head searching for prey.
Square-tailed Kite
Lophoictinia isura
Uncommon, inconspicuous raptor with a fairly small bill. Adult has a pale head and reddish underparts with black streaks on neck. Juvenile has a more reddish head with less streaking. In flight, tail has obvious square corners with a dark band at the base. Sails over forest woodland habitats just above the tree canopy, typically with little wing movement. Occurs singly or in pairs. At a distance, and particularly when heavily worn, take care to identify juvenile birds from Black Kite, which has more uniformly patterned plumage.
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