Coturnix coturnix
Status: No accepted records.
Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (McGowan et al 2020).
Common Quail is considered monotypic since the split of Japanese Quail Coturnix japonica (Madge and McGowan 2002, Gill et al 2021).
Comments: There is no evidence to support releases of nominate Common Quail in Nebraska. The releases of some 76,600 coturnix quail in Nebraska beginning in 1957 (Mathisen and Mathisen 1960, Wetherbee 1961) involved birds purchased from breeders in Missouri and were Japanese Quail (C. c. japonica) (Wetherbee 1961). Of interest however was the release of 100 C. c. coturnix near Sioux City, Iowa in the period 1877-1882, but this introduction was deemed a failure by 1885 (Wetherbee 1961).
Literature Cited
Gill, F., D. Donsker, and P. Rasmussen (Eds). 2021. IOC World Bird List (v 11.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.11.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
Mathisen, J., and A. Mathisen. 1960. History and status of introduced game birds in Nebraska. NBR 28: 19-22.Madge, S.C. and McGowan, P. 2002. Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London.
McGowan, P.J.K. and G.M. Kirwan. 2020. Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D.A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.japqua.01.
McGowan, P.J.K., G.M. Kirwan, E. de Juana, and P.F.D Boesman. 2020. Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D.A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.comqua1.01.
Shickley, G.M. 1968. Additions to Lincoln County checklist. NBR 36: 54-57.
Wetherbee, D.K. 1961. Investigations in the Life History of the Common Coturnix. American Midland Naturalist 65: 168-186.
Recommended Citation
Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 2022. Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix). In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org
Birds of Nebraska – Online
Updated 8 Mar 2022