Planet of Birds

Quail (Coturnix coturnix) Science Article 3 abstract The mechanics of avian take-off are central to hypotheses about flight evolution, but have not been quantified in terms of whole-body movements for any species. In this study, I use a combination of high-speed video analysis and force plate recording to measure the kinematics and mechanics of ground […]

Quail (Coturnix coturnix) Science Article 5 abstract The Common Quail is one of the most popular steppe-land birds and is also one of greateconomic interest. Despite this, some aspects of its life cycle remain unclear, especially those concerned with the wintering phase. Here we report a long-term study of the spring arrival phenology of this […]

Quail (Coturnix coturnix) Science Article 1 abstract While handling the Eurasian quail, Coturnix coturnix, in a game stocking program, the junior author noted that the breeding males issued a frothy fluid from their cloac . Upon examination we noted that this secretion originated in a gland located above the dorsal lip of the cloaca. There […]

Quail (Coturnix coturnix) Science Article 4 abstract Since the 1970s, the decline of the occidental populations of European Quail Coturnix c. coturnix, a partial migrant Galliform species, has driven the release of domestic Japanese Quail Coturnix c. japonica into the wild as game birds. Recent experiments suggest that reproductive isolating mechanisms have not developed to […]

Quail (Coturnix coturnix) Science Article 6 abstract The existence of interannual variations in the richness and abundance of bird species breeding in pseudo-steppic Mediterranean areas is analysed and related to the important fluctuations that take place in rainfall, which in turn deeply influence vegetation growth. The hypothesis of food limitation as a key factor in […]

Quail (Coturnix coturnix) Science Article 2 abstract Males of the Old World quail genus Coturnix are unique among birds in possessing a well-developed proctodeal gland. The gland and associated cloacal musculature are sexually dimorphic, androgen dependent, and produce a foamy substance that is introduced into the female along with semen during copulation, suggesting that the […]