Common Quail Call MP3s
This track reproduces the Common Quail's calling pattern for use in the field or simply to learn the species' voice before a hunting or birding trip.
Also known as
Recordings (6)
About this species
The Quail (Coturnix coturnix) is a ground-dwelling gamebird of around 18 cm — the only migratory European gamebird, tiny, round and cryptically streaked sandy-brown. It breeds in cereal fields and rough grassland, slipping away on foot when disturbed.
The male's far-carrying, liquid 'wet-my-lips' trisyllable rings from deep cover, the bird itself unseen. It takes small seeds and aquatic invertebrates sieved from the surface and shallow mud. A skulking summer migrant, it runs mouse-like through the crop and is hard to flush. A cornerstone of the traditional walked-up and driven shooting season, it remains one of the most sought-after gamebirds of the European countryside.
Legal use
The Common Quail is listed as a huntable species under Annex II of the EU Birds Directive and is legally shot across much of southern and central Europe, but rules diverge sharply by country — Malta holds a unique EU derogation permitting a limited spring hunt (with an EU-monitored bag limit), several other member states restrict or close seasons in some years, and illegal killing during migration is a recognised problem in parts of the Balkans and eastern Mediterranean. Outside Europe, Common Quail are also hunted along Middle Eastern and North African migration routes under local wildlife regulations. Given how much this varies by country and season, confirm current rules before hunting use and see our full country-by-country disclaimer.