Rain quail are also known as black-breasted quail (Finn, 1911). The earliest account of captive breeding is in England by Seth-Smith (Finn, 1911) in 1903 (Hopkinson, 1926; Alderton, 1992).
Rain quail are closely related to harlequin quail, Coturnix delegorguei (Johnsgard, 1988).
Males utter a two note call that sounds like "whit-whit" (Finn, 1911).
Communication Channels: acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Rain quail are not listed by either the IUCN or Cites.
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
There are no known adverse affects of rain quail on humans.
Sometimes, these quail are kept in aviaries.
Positive Impacts: pet trade
Rain quail have an impact on the plants and insects they eat.
Rain quail eat grass and weed seeds as well as small insects and insect larvae (Finn, 1911; Johnsgard, 1988; Alderton, 1992).
Animal Foods: insects
Plant Foods: seeds, grains, and nuts
Primary Diet: omnivore
Rain quail are found in India, Sri Lanka,and Myanmar.
Biogeographic Regions: oriental (Native ); australian (Native )
These quail are found in monsoonal areas (Finn, 1911) and open grasslands (Kuz'mina, 1992). They are terrestrial birds and are adapted to tropical areas (Harper, 1986). They may be found at heights of 2000 to 2500 m in the Himalayas (Johnsgard, 1988; Alderton, 1992).
Range elevation: 2500 (high) m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; mountains
We do not have information on lifespan/longevity for this species at this time.
Rain quail are approximately 15 cm (Robbins, 1979; Harper, 1986) to 16 cm (Alderton, 1992) in length. The male's wing and tail measurements are 93 to 96 mm and 29 to 32 mm, respectively. The females' wings are 90 to 97 mm and their tails are 28 to 31 mm (Johnsgard, 1988). Males have black throat markings and their breast feathers are buff with black streaking. The streaking becomes a patch as the bird increases in age (Finn, 1911). Females lack these markings (Harper, 1986).
Range length: 15 to 16 cm.
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes colored or patterned differently
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
We do not have information on predation for this species at this time.
The pair-bond of rain quail is very strong (Johnsgard, 1988).
Mating System: monogamous
Breeding occurs during the wet season and depends on local rainfall patterns. Generally, rain quail breed from March to October. Their nests are constructed in standing crops or thin grasses in unlined hollows in the ground (Finn, 1911) and are sometimes hidden in scrub, low bush (Johnsgard, 1988), or grass (Alderton, 1992).
Clutch size is usually four to six eggs, occasionally more may be laid (Alderton, 1992). Sometimes more than one female lays eggs in a single nest. The eggs are approximately 27.4 mm by 20.8 mm and weigh 6.5 g (Johnsgard, 1988). Incubation usually lasts 16 (Alderton, 1992) to 17 days (Robbins, 1979), but may last 18 to 19 days (Johnsgard, 1988). The chicks remain with their parents for approximately eight months (Johnsgard, 1988).
Breeding interval: Rain quail breed yearly
Breeding season: March to October
Range eggs per season: 4 to 6.
Range time to hatching: 16 (low) days.
Average time to hatching: 19 days.
Average time to independence: 8 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous
Incubation usually lasts 16 (Alderton, 1992) to 17 days (Robbins, 1979), and may last 18 to 19 days (Johnsgard, 1988). Males sometimes become aggressive soon after the chicks hatch (Alderton, 1992). Males have been reported to help females in the care of the brood. Chicks are precocial and remain with their parents for approximately eight months (Johnsgard, 1988).
Parental Investment: no parental involvement; precocial ; pre-fertilization; pre-hatching/birth (Protecting); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female)
The rain quail or black-breasted quail (Coturnix coromandelica) is a species of quail found in the Indian Sub-continent and South-east Asia; its range including Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.[1]
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.[2][3] 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.[4] 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.[5][6][7] 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.[8] The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.[7]
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).[9]
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.[10][11]
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.
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.[12]
The rain quail has a very large range and the population is stable. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated their conservation status as "least concern".[1]
Drawing of the head of a rain quail The rain quail or black-breasted quail (Coturnix coromandelica) is a species of quail found in the Indian Sub-continent and South-east Asia; its range including Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
