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King Quail (Excalfactoria chinensis) Alternate name(s): "Blue-breasted Quail", "Asian Blue Quail", "Chines Painted Quail", "Chinese Quail", "Chestnut-bellied Quail", "Least Quail", "Dwarf Quail", "Swamp Quail*" Size: 13-15 cm Weight: 29-48 g

Australia: Family Group 1 Family Group 1 table Emu Southern Cassowary Malleefowl Orange-footed Scrubfowl Australian Brush-turkey Stubble Quail King Quail Brown Quail Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description King Quails are small, plump, chicken-like birds with predominantly dark-brown, highly cryptic plumage with grey streaks and almost no visible tail. King Quails are dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male King Quails have a black and white facial pattern, bluish-grey flanks and cheeks and a brown belly. Females have light-brown, mottled facial and frontal plumage. The irises of both sexes are brown, the bill is black and the legs are yellow.

Taxonomy, classification See King Quail at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information This species has been reassigned to a new genus, of which it is the sole member, more than once, from formerly Coturnix to first Synoicus, now Excalfactoria. Also the races have undergone name changes; former race "victoriae" is now race "australis". Quail vs. Button-quail Although the two genera of the true quails, Coturnix, and the button-quails, Turnix, are outwardly very similar, and therefore often listed together, there are significant differences between them (which is the reason why they are in different family groups here). Genus Coturnix Turnix Common name True quails Button-quails Similar species Chicken-like Wader-like Toes 4 toes, one of which points backward 3 toes, all of which point forward Nesting habits Communal Non-communal Main incubator Female Male Incubation period ca. 21 days ca. 14 days No. of eggs 8-12 ≤ 4

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the King Quail is available HERE . The two races of King Quail found in Australia are endemic to the continent and a few offshore islands. They populate parts of the South-east, East and North coast of Australia. Race "victoriae" is found only occasionally along the South coast, from roughly the SA/VIC border to the VIC/NSW border. They are more regularly found along the East coast, from the VIC/NSW border all the way up to the tip of Cape York peninsula. Race "colletti" populates the Top End of the NT, from Arnhemland westward, into the northern coastal fringe of WA, as far to the West as about Prince Regent Nature Reserve, WA. King Quails have a preference for dense, often swampy, grass.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "victoriae" M. Eaton reports finding a dead King Quail, race "australis", at Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, in March 2019. More King Quails, race "australis", were found by M. Eaton at Postman's Track, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, in November/December 2019, and at Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, in November 2020. Other photos shown below, of birds in captivity, were taken by J. Greaves.

Photos

Race "australis"

ADULT

MALE

Near-dorsal view of a male King Quail in flight (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Postman's Track, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]

More distant near-dorsal view of a male King Quail in flight (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2020]

Dead young male King Quail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, March 2019]

Dead young male King Quail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, March 2019]

Frontal view of a male King Quail, probably race "chinensis", in captivity (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female King Quail, probably race "chinensis", in captivity (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)

Breeding information

Breeding season: Jan - Dec

Eggs: 4 - 10

Incubation period: 18 - 20 days

Fledging age: ?

The breeding season of King Quails depends on geographic latitude. While they can, in principle breed any time of year, their core breeding periods are September to March in the south-eastern part of the continent and February to May in the North.

Quail vs. Button-quail

Although the two genera of the true quails, Coturnix, and the button-quails, Turnix, are outwardly very similar, and therefore often listed together, there are significant differences between them (which is the reason why they are in different family groups here).

Genus	Coturnix	Turnix
Common name	True quails	Button-quails
Similar species	Chicken-like	Wader-like
Toes	4 toes, one of which points backward	3 toes, all of which point forward
Nesting habits	Communal	Non-communal
Main incubator	Female	Male
Incubation period	ca. 21 days	ca. 14 days
No. of eggs	8-12	≤ 4

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

King Quail chicks are precocial, i.e. they leave the nest very shortly after hatchling and will feed themselves, under the supervision of their parents.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket

Material: Dry grass

Height above ground: N/A

The nest is either on the ground beside a grass tussock or in a grass tussock.

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 20 x 15 mm

Colour: Creamy, with light-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Two King Quail eggs in a communal nest (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

kquail_me_20191211_2.m4a	australis (SE QLD)	Contact calls	© ME
kquail_me_20191211.m4a	australis (SE QLD)	Contact calls (Q&A)	© ME
kquail_me_20191214.m4a	australis (SE QLD)	Various (Q&A?), (+ Golden-headed Cisticola)	© ME

More King Quail sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Mon, 29 March 2021, 22:34 +00:00