Quail

It is still just possible to hear the call of the of wild quail in southern England during May and June, though your chances vary from year to year depending on the numbers of these small visitors that are about. They favour chalk grasslands but are difficult to spot in the countryside because they prefer to run hidden among the grasses and hedgerows. When they fly they resemble the partridge, flying very low and for short distances. Quail is the smallest European game bird and the only truly migratory one. It winters in Africa and India but breeds in Europe. At one time considerable numbers nested in the British Isles but vast numbers of quail were netted and shot on their migratory journeys. The population was reduced so dramatically that they became protected birds in Great Britain, although they are still shot in Europe. Before the Second World War the majority of quail for sale in England were netted in Egypt and imported alive to this country where they were fattened before being killed. Today the quail you buy is farmed in this country and is often the Japanese species. It is bred domestically for both eggs and birds. The hens’ broodiness was bred out by the Japanese, so hatching takes place in incubators. The eggs have charming patterns which are unique to each bird.