Quails are ground-dwelling birds found across various habitats, including grasslands, scrub, and deserts, with many species native to North America. Their behavior is characterized by a strong social inclination and a reliance on protective cover, which dictates how they interact with their environment and each other. Quail are generally non-migratory, often remaining within a relatively small home range throughout their lives.
The Social Structure of Quail
Outside of the breeding season, quail maintain a highly social structure, gathering in small groups known as coveys. A covey typically consists of a family unit—an adult pair and their offspring—sometimes joining with other families during the winter months to form a larger collective. For Northern Bobwhites, studies suggest an optimal covey size is around 11 birds, offering the best balance of individual survival and feeding efficiency.
The primary functions of the covey are collective defense and temperature regulation. A larger group size increases the likelihood of detecting predators, which improves the individual survival rate. Coveys also huddle together at night, often in a circular formation with heads facing outward, to share body heat and provide all-around vigilance against threats. The group generally functions as a cohesive unit, with members constantly communicating to maintain contact while moving and foraging.
Daily Survival: Foraging and Defense Behaviors
Quails spend their waking hours foraging on the ground, utilizing a diurnal pattern of activity. They are opportunistic eaters, with their diet consisting largely of seeds, leaves, and fruits, supplemented by insects, especially during the nesting season. Quails use their feet to scratch the substrate to uncover food, employing pecking to consume their findings.
Foraging usually occurs in groups during the early morning and late afternoon. Coveys spread out to feed while moving in the same general direction. They typically seek shaded, brushy spots during the midday heat to rest, preen, and engage in dust bathing, which is an important behavior for maintaining feather health and removing parasites.
The constant threat of predation has shaped several distinct anti-predator behaviors. When a threat is sensed, a quail’s immediate reaction may be to “freeze” in place, relying on its mottled coloration for camouflage against the ground cover.
If the predator is too close, the birds may suddenly “flush,” exploding into a short, rapid flight at speeds up to 40 miles per hour. They prefer to run and seek dense cover rather than sustain long flights. The availability of quality, dense ground cover is a determining factor in their survival, as it reduces their exposure during foraging and provides immediate escape routes.
Courtship and Nesting Rituals
The social dynamics of quail shift with the onset of the breeding season, as winter coveys dissolve and pairs begin to form. Many species are considered socially monogamous for the season, though polygamous behaviors, such as a female abandoning a successful brood to lay a second clutch with a new mate, have been observed. Courtship involves specific displays performed by the male to attract a female and reinforce the pair bond.
A common display is “tidbitting,” where the male pecks at the ground, sometimes offering a small food item, while fanning his tail and adopting a specific posture. Males may also puff out their chest, erect neck and flank feathers, and bob their heads as part of the ritualized performance.
Once paired, the couple selects a nest site, which is typically a shallow depression or “scrape” on the ground, concealed under dense vegetation. The nest is lined with soft materials like grass stems and leaves, and often includes an overarching cover to hide the incubating parent and eggs.
Females typically lay a clutch of 10 to 14 eggs, which are incubated for approximately 21 to 23 days, with the male often guarding the nearby area. Quail chicks are precocial, meaning they are alert, covered in downy feathers, and able to leave the nest and follow their parents to forage within hours of hatching.
Vocalizations and Communication
Quail possess an expansive vocabulary of vocalizations, which are fundamental to maintaining social cohesion and coordinating behavior. These sounds are used to communicate over distance and in close proximity, ranging from soft contact calls to loud, sharp whistles.
One of the most recognizable calls is the loud, multi-syllable “covey call,” often heard around dawn as the birds wake up or used by separated individuals trying to locate their group. The assembly call, typically a series of four short, anxious notes, is broadcast after a covey has been dispersed, indicating a nervous desire to regroup for safety in numbers.
In contrast, a soft tu-tu-tu or clucking sound may function as a food call, used by adults to alert chicks or other covey members to a newly found food source. A sharp, repetitive alarm call signals immediate danger, prompting the covey to freeze or flush into cover. During the breeding season, the male’s distinct, ringing whistle serves as a territorial declaration and a means to attract a mate.