Harlequin Quail ( Coturnix delegorguei, family: Phasianidae)

harlequin quail kruger national park birds The Harlequin Quail (Latin name Coturnix delegorguei) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 201 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 77 also a picture of the Harlequin Quail on page 320. The Harlequin Quail belongs to the family of birds classified as Phasianidae.

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The Harlequin Quail is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park.

In terms of distribution of the Harlequin Quail in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Harlequin Quail : see above distribution map.

Identification assistance for this avian species ...

One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Harlequin Quail is a small bird about the size of a house sparrow. Do not take this relative indicator as anything other than a rough easy to remember indicator. It is not a accurate visualization. The height of the Harlequin Quail is about 16 cms and its weight is about 70 gms

The male and female Harlequin Quail have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is blackish brown.
  • Eye is red brown.
  • Bill is black.
  • Throat is white.
  • Back is brown.
  • Legs are yellow.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Harlequin Quail feeds on the ground mainly

Invertebrates

Seeds

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Harlequin Quail is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Coturnix delegorguei will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Harlequin Quail is to create the nest on the ground. The bird lays eggs which are cream in colour and number between 4 to 8

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Harlequin Quail are: grasslands

You will not see Harlequin Quail in flocks. The bird prefers to act singly or in pairs.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Unknown

Zulu ... isiGwaca

Afrikaans ...Bontkwartel

German ... Harlekinwachtel

Portuguese ... Codorniz-arlequim

French ... Caille arlequin

Dutch ... Harlekijnkwartel

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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 201

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za