Common Quail

The common quail is a small, compact gamebird 16 to 18cm long, with a wingspan of 32 to 35cm and a weight of 70 to 140g. It is streaked brown with a white eyestripe and, in the male, a white chin. Unlike most gamebirds it has long wings, as befits a migratory bird, and it is mainly migratory, breeding in the Palearctic and wintering in Africa and southern India (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is more often heard than seen, with a characteristic call of three repeated chirps, and the male's 'wet-my-lips' song is often the only sign of its presence. It feeds on the ground on seeds and insects. The female forms a shallow scrape sparsely lined with vegetation and lays 8 to 13 eggs at 24-hour intervals. The sources opened give nothing on its status in Nepal.