Rain Quail
Coturnix coromandelica
The Rain Quail (Coturnix coromandelica) is a rare partridges, pheasants, grouse, and alli found in 8 countries, weighing about 74 g. The rain quail or black-breasted quail is a species of quail found in the Indian Sub-continent and South-east Asia; its range including Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.










About the Rain Quail
The rain quail or black-breasted quail is a species of quail found in the Indian Sub-continent and South-east Asia; its range including Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The rain quail lacks barring on primaries. The male has a black breast-patch and distinctive head pattern of black and white. The female is difficult to separate from female common quail and Japanese quail, although the spots on the breast are more delicate. It is 6–6.5 in (15–17 cm) and weighs roughly 2.25–2.5 oz (64–71 g). The call is a metallic pair of quit- quit nots, constantly repeated mornings and evenings, and in the breeding season also during the night. It is quite unmistakably distinct from the call of the common grey quail.
What the Rain Quail sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: June, July, August, September, October, with peak activity in August. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Rain Quail?
- The rain quail lacks barring on primaries. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Rain Quail?
- The Rain Quail is a medium sized bird weighing about 74 g.
- Where can you see a Rain Quail?
- The Rain Quail occurs in 8 countries, including India, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia and Bangladesh.
- What does a Rain Quail sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Rain Quail on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Rain Quail?
- The Rain Quail is most easily confused with the Harlequin Quail, the Japanese Quail and the Stubble Quail.
- Is the Rain Quail endangered?
- The Rain Quail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Rain Quail for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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