Steve Zammit Lupi

The species occupies for breeding open habitats of various types covered by vegetation – grasslands or cultivations (cereals, alfalfa etc.); it avoids bare soils (Keller et al. 2020; McGowan et al. 2020).

Its breeding range stretches over W Palearctic (excluding most of Fennoscandia), W, C and locally S Asia, as well as E & S Africa. Eurasian-African/Indian migrant. Some populations resident in N, E & S Africa, India and locally in the extreme S of Europe. European migratory populations believed to winter in Africa S of Sahara, mainly in the Sahel zone (McGowan et al. 2020).

Its population trend in Europe is fluctuating. Evaluated as “Least Concern” (BirdLife International 2021).

Season of assessment

B

Population trendDecreasing
Population size
(min-max, best estimate)		5000000-9030000,6560000
Red List categoryNT
Franks, S., Fiedler, W., Arizaga, J., Jiguet, F., Nikolov, B., van der Jeugd, Ambrosini, R, Aizpurua, O., Bairlein, F., Clark, J., Fattorini, N, Hammond, M., Higgins, D, Levering, H., Skellorn, W., Spina, F, Thorup, K. Walker, J., Woodward, I. and Baillie, S.R. (1) (2022) Online Atlas of the movements of European bird populations. https://migrationatlas.org EURING/CMS (1) Principal investigator
Carte

Connectivité globale pour Caille des blés

Complex migratory strategy, often performs loop migration (Nankinov 1982). Birds of higher latitudes move longer distances, some undertake leap-frog migration over the less prone to migrate populations in the Mediterranean region (Perennou 2009).

Migration routes believed to vary individually and annually (McGowan et al. 2020).

Breeding populations in NW & W Europe take SW routes with numerous encounters in S France & Spain, even further S in Morocco; fewer birds move SE to Italy. Possible weak migratory divide in C Europe – many birds undertake SW & S movements, but also SE (to the Balkan Peninsula). Due to intensive hunting activity there are lots of within-country encounters in Spain. Lots of birds marked during migration in the E Mediterranean (Israel, Egypt) have been subsequently encountered in SE Europe (N to E Ukraine) & Asia Minor.

Contrôles par Condition for Caille des blés

Game species, intensively hunted throughout most of its range. Most encounters obtained after 2000, nearly half of them (ca. 45%) coming from two peaks – in May (24%) and Aug (21%). SW, SC & W Europe hold the bulk of encounters (ca. 96%) – 44, 37 and 15% respectively. The encounters based on dead birds slightly decreased over time: 61% pre-1960, 86% in 1961-1990 and 45% after 1991; those based on alive birds considerably increased from 5-6% before 1990 to ca. 50% after 1991. Shooting/ hunting is the major factor among those causing mortality – 50% pre-1960, 78% in 1961-90 and 44% after 1991. Nowadays, about half (49%) of all encounters come from alive birds due to ringing.

Most encounters in W & SW Europe as a result of shooting/ hunting largely concentrated in W & SW France and N Spain.

Annual Movements for Caille des blés

Post-breeding dispersal/ start of the autumn migration is evident from Aug. Birds from the breeding European populations are encountered at lower latitudes in S Europe and locally in N Africa mostly in Aug-Sep. Their numbers progressively decrease in autumn, and the encounters from Dec-Feb pertain mostly to overwintering birds in the W Mediterranean region (Morocco, Spain, France, Italy).

In spring, on their way back, encounters from Mar exist from the Canary Is & N Africa (Egypt, Morocco); the breeding grounds in Europe are reached in Apr or May.

Аltitudinal movements associated with habitat seasonality are also known for this species (Puigcerver et al. 2012).

Long-distance ring recoveries from the African winter quarters almost lacking.

Connectivité par mois par région pour Caille des blés

Birds breeding in the UK and continental W Europe are encountered in SW France and N Spain mostly in late summer, some as late as mid-autumn; the SW routes lead them to Morocco where they overwinter or migrate through (encounters from mid-winter to early spring). Early to mid-winter encounters from the Atlantic coast, S France and S Spain suggest overwintering in low numbers. C European population takes SW, S and (to a lesser extent) SE routes in autumn, resulting in encounters mainly in the W & C Mediterranean – mostly in late summer and early autumn, some birds staying during winter (from W France and Morocco to Sicily). Breeding sites are normally occupied in mid-spring or a month later at the most N part of species range.

Références

Statistiques Carte
Nombre de données Nombre d'individus Nombre de contrôles
Données cartographiées*
Données totales disponibles
*Données cartographiées avec des contrôles >= à 50 km
Références Carte
2020 . European Breeding Bird Atlas 2: Distribution, Abundance and Change. European Bird Census Council & Lynx Edicions, BarcelonaEditor(s): Keller, V., S. Herrando, P. Voříšek, et al.
BirdLife International2021 . Species factsheet: Coturnix coturnix. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 25/07/2021.
McGowan, P. J. K., G. M. Kirwan, E. de Juana, and P. F. D. Boesman 2020 . Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix), version 1.0. In Birds of the World Link to Article (DOI: https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.comqua1.01) Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA
Nankinov, D. 1982 . Quail (Coturnix coturnix). In: Migrations of birds of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia: Falconiformes – Gruiformes. Nauka, MoscowEditor(s): Ilichev, V.: 184–196
Perennou, C. 2009 . European Management Plan 2009-2011: Common Quail Coturnix coturnix. Office for Official Publications of the European Community, Luxembourg
Puigcerver, M., Sardà–Palomera, F., Rodríguez–Teijeiro, J. D. 2012 . Determining population trends and conservation status of the common quail (Coturnix coturnix) in Western Europe. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 35: 343–352

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