This page does not include a separate study from Georgia in which this bird’s food was examined by weighing it. In general, the species eats seeds, including leftover grain and weed seeds. It also eats beetles, bugs, ants, grasshoppers, crickets and related insects that live on the ground, as well as their larvae. The bird is traditionally hunted in Georgia. Hunting rules are separate from the Red List.
Common quail
Coturnix coturnix
Listen to the voice
Christoph Moning · Fraunberg, Bavaria
A small, cryptic grassland gamebird heard more often than seen. Confirmed in Georgia on the 2024 national bird checklist as a breeding bird, a passage migrant, and a winter visitor.
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 16–18 cm
- Diet
- Seeds and insects
- Status in Georgia
- Breeding migrant, passage, winter visitor
- Habitat
- Crops, meadows, grassland
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Conservation
- Least Concern
The quail (Coturnix coturnix) is a small migratory, chicken-like bird in the pheasant family (Phasianidae). According to 2024 data, it breeds in Georgia and leaves its breeding areas after the breeding season. It is also found here during migration and in winter. Information about its seasonal presence is reliable. Its presence in Georgia is also well documented by a photograph, a sound recording and a bird obtained during a hunt. Adult quail are generally about 16–18 cm long. They pose no direct threat to people. Internationally, the species is assessed as having a low risk of extinction. Georgia’s 2024 assessment gives it the same status. The quail is a game bird in Georgia, and hunting it is regulated. It is not on the Red List.
Identification
Common quail: how to identify it
A small, mottled brown bird found in open grassy fields. You will often hear the male’s whistle before you see the bird. It has three notes and sounds like “wet-my-lips.” If you spot it, look for pale stripes on its back and a pale stripe above the eye. Males also have a dark mark on the throat. According to 2024 records, it breeds in Georgia and is also seen there during migration and in winter.
In general, birds of this species are about 16–18 cm long. Their wingspan is often around 32–35 cm, and they often weigh around 70–140 g. They are heavier before migration. This page has no separate measurements from birds in Georgia. Their body is pear-shaped, and their wings are longer than those of many nonmigratory chicken-like birds. The upper part of the body is mottled brown with lengthwise pale cream stripes; the underside is lighter. Both males and females have a pale stripe above the eye and a dark stripe across it.
Males often have a black or dark stripe or spot of varying size in the middle of the throat, and warmer colors on the face. Females have a plainer, lighter throat. Young birds resemble females. The bird stays hidden. When startled, it makes a squeaky call, flies low for a short distance, then drops back into cover.
The gray partridge (Perdix perdix) is much larger; adults have reddish faces and a dark patch on the belly. The chukar (Alectoris chukar) is also larger, lives on rocky slopes and has clear stripes on its sides. The common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is mottled as a chick and has a long tail as an adult — see the atlas page on the pheasant. According to the 2024 list, all three live in Georgia year-round. The corncrake (Crex crex) lives in tall grass and makes a dry “crex-crex” sound rather than a quail’s whistle. It breeds in Georgia and is a migratory bird. The Japanese quail (C. japonica) is not listed as a native species in the list of Georgia’s wild birds used by this atlas. Japanese quails that have escaped or been released look almost identical to common quails, but their song is different. The atlas does not yet have separate pages for the gray partridge, chukar or corncrake.
It is harmless. In Georgia, a three-note whistle heard from a grain field or meadow in late spring or summer usually comes from this species. If Japanese quail may have been released nearby, confirm the identification with a clear view of the bird or a recording.
Often confused with
Look for quail in open places where grass or crops provide cover: grain fields, clover and other crops, meadows, and grassy steppe. They stay on the ground and are usually found by their calls; they are rarely seen. A 2024 list confirms that quail breed in Georgia, occur during migration, and visit in winter, but no map of their distribution by municipality has been published. These records do not show that quail occur evenly across the country, including in dense forests and among high mountain cliffs. A published count recorded tens of thousands of quail in one part of the Alazani Valley in September. They were traveling from places in the Eurasian steppe where they breed toward places in the Middle East and East Africa where they spend the winter. Region shading on this page comes from the status in the iNaturalist records-by-region table: only a confirmed region counts as distribution. The published Alazani Valley count is separate literature evidence and does not automatically change the map status. Separate data on their distribution by elevation in Georgia are not published here. Older hunting accounts say that in summer, after lowland fields are harvested, quail move to mountain slopes and high mountain meadows. For this atlas, that account remains unconfirmed until data collected at different elevations in Georgia have been reviewed by specialists and published.
Distribution confirmedfield records
The Common Quail map uses public iNaturalist observations from Georgia. Regions come from the records-by-region table; one record is enough to confirm distribution for this species. Points outside the regional polygons remain in the total without being assigned to a region. Record counts reflect observation effort, not population density.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
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- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Confirmed distribution region
During the day, it is wary, stays under cover and rarely flies. When startled, it takes off with a creaking sound, flies low and fast, then drops back into cover. Its wings are relatively long for a bird related to chickens. The male’s call to attract a mate is a three-note whistle that carries far. It is often written as “wet-my-lips”. The call is heard mainly at dawn and dusk, and sometimes at night. This page features the xeno-canto recording XC476230 (Jens Loose, Dresden). It captures a sound made during night flight, not the male’s mate-attracting whistle. The recording was not made in Georgia. The nest is a shallow hollow on the ground among plants. It often contains about 8–13 eggs, and incubation lasts about 17–20 days. These figures come from across the species’ wider range, not from nests studied in Georgia. According to a 2024 list, the species nests in Georgia and is also found here during migration and in winter. Exact dates of its arrival in and departure from Georgia are not given here in a table.
The quail (Coturnix coturnix) is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. It has a very large global range. A 2024 Georgian checklist also gives it LC status both globally and in Georgia. In the sources used for this page, the quail does not appear on Georgia’s 2014 Red List (Government Decree No. 190). The Georgian checklist cites a sound recording and a bird taken during hunting as evidence of its presence. According to information published by the Environmental Supervision Department, quail hunting in Georgia is allowed from the fourth Saturday in August until 15 February. The daily limit is 20 quail. Before hunting, check the department’s current notice for that year. Known threats to the species include intensive hunting during migration, changes in farming, and loss of habitat. This page does not provide measured data showing how quail numbers are changing in Georgia. Do not disturb nests, and do not capture or hunt quail outside the permitted season or without a permit.
Christoph Moning · Fraunberg, Bavaria
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Christoph Moning · Fraunberg, Bavaria
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Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Common quail.
Yes. According to information published in 2024, this bird nests in Georgia and is also found here during migration and in winter.
During the breeding and migration seasons, the birds are found in open fields, meadows and planted fields. Some also spend the winter there. A gathering of migrating birds was recorded in the Alazani Valley in September. Regional map status comes from the iNaturalist records table; only regions with confirmed status are marked as distribution.
A small, mottled brown bird that looks like a chicken. It has pale streaks on its back and a pale stripe above the eye. Males often have a dark mark on the throat. The male’s whistle sounds like “wet-my-lips” and is the best way to identify this bird in the wild. The grey partridge and chukar are larger, while the corncrake has a different call.
This species is generally about 16–18 cm long. Its wingspan is often about 32–35 cm, and it weighs about 70–140 g. Measurements from Georgia are not presented separately on this page.
Seeds and ground-dwelling animals without backbones. This page does not examine separately what it eats in Georgia.
According to the 2024 list, this migratory bird breeds in Georgia, passes through during migration, and is also seen here in winter. Exact dates for its arrival in and departure from Georgia are not given here in a table. Large numbers of these birds have been recorded passing through the Alazani Valley in September.
Yes. The 2024 list says this bird nests. This page does not list the specific places where it nests in Georgia.
It is harmless. Globally and on Georgia’s 2024 national list, it is classified as Least Concern (LC). It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List. Under current rules, hunting it is permitted during the hunting season. Hunters must have the required permit and follow the set limits.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
