| Rain quail | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Rain Quail (Coturnix coromandelica) male in Bhigwan, Maharashtra, India. | |
.jpg) | |
| Female | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Genus: | Coturnix |
| Species: | C. coromandelica |
| Binomial name | |
| Coturnix coromandelica (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | |
Therain quail orblack-breasted quail (Coturnix coromandelica) is a species ofquail 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 wasformally described in 1789 by the German naturalistJohann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition ofCarl Linnaeus'sSystema Naturae. He placed it with all the quail like birds in thegenusTetrao and coined thebinomial nameTetrao coromandelicus.[2][3] Gmelin based his description on "La Petite caille de Gingi" that had been described in 1782 by the French naturalistPierre Sonnerat in hisVoyage aux Indes orientales et a la Chine.[4] The rain quail is now one of six species placed in the genusCoturnix that was introduced in 1764 by the French naturalistFrançois Alexandre Pierre de Garsault.[5][6][7] The genus name is theLatin for thecommon quail. The specific epithetcoromandelica is from thetype location, theCoromandel Coast of southeast India.[8] The species ismonotypic: nosubspecies 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 femalecommon quail andJapanese 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 metallicpair 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 theGangetic 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 southwesterlymonsoon season in June. The eggs are laid in a scrape in the ground, sometimes in the open under aEuphorbia 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 theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature has rated their conservation status as "least concern".[1]
In Khmer culture, the rain quail is a symbolic figure often represented at the center of someyantra cloth, as an auspicious sign for the protection of a home.[13]
