Old World quail are placed in the familyPhasianidae, andNew World quail are placed in the familyOdontophoridae. The species ofbuttonquail are named for their superficial resemblance to quail, and form thefamily Turnicidae in theorderCharadriiformes. Theking 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 fortable food oregg consumption, and arehunted 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]
Quails were depicted in ancient Egyptian paintings, the quail drawing in hieroglyphics is equal to the letter "O"[5]
In the letter of Shepsi to his mother, one of the Egyptianletters to the dead, he wrote reminding her of all the good deeds he performed during her lifetime. Saying … you said to me, your son, “you shall bring me some quails that I may eat them” and I, your son, then brought you seven quails and you ate them …,
Quails were mentioned in the Hebrew Bible several times, for example: in Exodus (16:13-15) “That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning, there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.” Psalm (78:30-31) mentioned that many Israelites died after eating quail mentioning “But before they turned from what they craved, even while the food was still in their mouths, God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them”
In theQuran in surah taha verse 80 “O Children of Israel! We saved you from your enemy, and made an appointment with you on the right side of Mount Ṭûr, and sent down to you manna and quails”[6]
The neighbourhood near theGiza pyramid complex that includes the horse stables and tourist gift shops is called "Nazlet el Semman" which means "Quails landing" it got that name because quail birds would descend to the area during their seasonal migration[7][8]
Quail that have fed onhemlock (e.g., during migration) may induceacute kidney injury due to accumulation of toxic substances from the hemlock in the meat; this problem is referred to as "coturnism".[9]
This page is an index of articles on animal species (or higher taxonomic groups) with the samecommon name (vernacular name). If aninternal link led you here, you may wish to edit the linking article so that it links directly to the intended article.
