Unidentified quail-like bird

["Philip Veerman" <>]

Yes adults of Stubble or Brown Quail are larger than a mouse but young quails are active from birth so it could be a young Stubble or Brown Quail. Another possibility is a Little Button-quail.

 

Philip

 

-----Original Message-----
From: martin butterfield [
Sent: Friday, 7 May 2010 4:56 PM
To: Margaret Leggoe
Cc:
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Unidentified quail-like bird

Margaret

When I was at
Finch Central (FC) a couple of weeks back I flushed some Stubble Quail but they
were noticeably larger than robin (I presumes Flame Robin) size.  However
according to Field Guides, King Quail are about the same size as a Flame Robin
and the female looks rather plain brown in colour.  Also FC is not too far
from Stromlo Forest Park where Con Boekel saw King Quail last year.  I'd
check your field guide for that species.

Martin

On Fri, May 7, 2010 at 4:25 PM, Margaret Leggoe <> wrote:

Dear COGS,

 

This morning at “Finch Central”, I caught a glimpse of a very small quail-like bird as it ran from a bramble bush to a clump of grass, a distance of less than a metre.  It was the size and colour of a house mouse, but had the distinctive shape and movement of a “quail”.  It lacked any spots or stripes.  A short time later a robin sat near the same spot, and it was about the same size.  I thought quail were bigger than that.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thank you

 

Margaret Leggoe

 

PS, The only finches seen were diamond firetail and European goldfinch.  However, in the little woodland patch on the plateau above the bramble patch there were more robins than I have ever seen in one place.  Mostly immature/female plumage.