science

Quail

Quail is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Quail rather than just read about it. In short: Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy.

Key takeaways

Quail belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Quail to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Quail from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New World quail are placed in the family Odontophoridae. The species of buttonquail are named for their superficial resemblance to quail, and form the family Turnicidae in the order Charadriiformes. The king quail, an Old World quail, often is sold in the pet trade, and within this trade is commonly, though mistakenly, referred to as a "button quail". Many of the common larger species are farm-raised for table food or egg consumption, and are hunted on game farms or in the wild, where they may be released to supplement the wild population, or extend into areas outside their natural range. In 2007, 40 million quail were produced in the United States.

New World Genus Callipepla Scaled quail, (commonly called blue quail) Callipepla squamata Elegant quail, Callipepla douglasii California quail, Callipepla californica Gambel's quail, Callipepla gambelii Genus Cyrtonyx Montezuma quail, Cyrtonyx montezumae Ocellated quail, Cyrtonyx ocellatus Genus Dactylortyx Singing quail, Dactylortyx thoracicus Genus Philortyx Banded quail, Philortyx fasciatus Genus Colinus Northern bobwhite, Colinus virginianus Black-throated bobwhite, Colinus nigrogularis Spot-bellied bobwhite, Colinus leucopogon Crested bobwhite, Colinus cristatus Genus Odontophorus Marbled wood quail, Odontophorus gujanensis Spot-winged wood quail, Odontophorus capueira Black-eared wood quail, Odontophorus melanotis Rufous-fronted wood quail, Odontophorus erythrops Black-fronted wood quail, Odontophorus atrifrons Chestnut wood quail, Odontophorus hyperythrus Dark-backed wood quail, Odontophorus melanonotus Rufous-breasted wood quail, Odontophorus speciosus Tacarcuna wood quail, Odontophorus dialeucos Gorgeted wood quail, Odontophorus strophium Venezuelan wood quail, Odontophorus columbianus Black-breasted wood quail, Odontophorus leucolaemus Stripe-faced wood quail, Odontophorus balliviani Starred wood quail, Odontophorus stellatus Spotted wood quail, Odontophorus guttatus Genus Oreortyx Mountain quail, Oreortyx pictus Genus Rhynchortyx Tawny-faced quail, Rhynchortyx cinctus

Old World Genus Coturnix Common quail (also called Pharaoh, Bible, European or Nile quail), Coturnix coturnix Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica Stubble quail, Coturnix pectoralis †New Zealand quail, Coturnix novaezelandiae (extinct) Rain quail, Coturnix coromandelica Harlequin quail, Coturnix delegorguei †Canary Islands quail, Coturnix gomerae (fossil) †Madeira quail, Coturnix lignorum, (fossil) †Porto Santo quail, Coturnix alabrevis, (fossil) †Cape Verde quail, Coturnix centensis, (fossil) Genus Synoicus Brown quail, Synoicus ypsilophorus Blue quail, Synoicus adansonii King quail, Synoicus chinensis Snow Mountain quail, Synoicus monorthonyx Genus Perdicula Jungle bush quail, Perdicula asiatica Rock bush quail, Perdicula argoondah Painted bush quail, Perdicula erythrorhyncha Manipur bush quail, Perdicula manipurensis Genus Ophrysia Himalayan quail, Ophrysia superciliosa (critically endangered/extinct)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Quail

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Quail claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Quail before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Quail ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Quail

In research: Quail appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Quail in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Quail is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Birds by common name, Quails, Set index articles on animal common names, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Quail outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Quail in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Quail means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Quail out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Quail in simple terms?

Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy.

Why does Quail matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Quail?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Quail.