Quail Coturnix coturnix
Breeding distribution change
Summer visitor from Africa/south Europe in fluctuating numbers
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Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2013
Atlas species lists
- Breeding distribution 1995–2000
- Summer abundance 1995–2000
- Winter distribution 1995–2000
- Winter abundance 1995–2000
- Breeding distribution 2007–2012
- Summer abundance 2007–2012
- Winter distribution 2007–2012
- Winter abundance 2007–2012
- Breeding distribution change
- Summer abundance change
- Winter distribution change
- Winter abundance change
More Quail maps
- Breeding distribution 1995–2000
- Summer abundance 1995–2000
- Winter distribution 1995–2000
- Winter abundance 1995–2000
- Breeding distribution 2007–2012
- Summer abundance 2007–2012
- Winter distribution 2007–2012
- Winter abundance 2007–2012
- Breeding distribution change
- Summer abundance change
- Winter distribution change
- Winter abundance change
Map explanation
This map shows where changes occurred in the breeding season distribution of the species in Wiltshire between 1995-2000 and 2007-2012, as revealed by the fieldwork for Birds of Wiltshire (Wiltshire Ornithological Society 2007) and the shared fieldwork for Bird Atlas 2007-2011 (BTO 2013) and for Wiltshire Tetrad Atlas 2007-2012.
Gains and improvements
Status
Nos tetrads
Absent to present
52
6%
Present to breeding
9
1%
Absent to breeding
11
1%
No change
Status
Nos tetrads
Present in both
40
4%
Breeding in both
3
<1%
Losses and declines
Status
Nos tetrads
Present to absent
67
7%
Breeding to present
9
1%
Breeding to absent
11
1%
Quails breed in a wide area covering continental Europe, western Asia and parts of Africa. The European breeding population moves south in winter to the western Mediterranean basin or to the Sahel, the arid steppe area to the south of the Sahara. They are the only migratory gamebird species found in Britain, in numbers that can vary greatly from year to year. The reasons for these variations are poorly understood though it has been suggested that invasions occur in years with warm dry springs and predominantly southeasterly winds. Bird Atlas 2007-2011 recorded a 103% increase in breeding distribution since the publication of the 1968-72 Breeding Atlas though given the year to year fluctuations, some caution is needed in interpreting these figures.
Quails nest mainly in long grass or cereal crops on calcareous soils so not surprisingly Wiltshire has long been one of their traditional breeding areas, with Salisbury Plain and the Marlborough Downs being the main strongholds. Birds of Wiltshire recorded them present in 139 tetrads, in 23 of which breeding was confirmed or probable. Fieldwork between 2007 and 2012 for WTA2 found them in 124 tetrads, with breeding again confirmed or probable in 23.
References
The following references are used throughout these species accounts, in the abbreviated form given in quotation marks:
“1968-72 Breeding Atlas” – Sharrack, J.T.R. 1976: The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland. T. & A. Poyser
“1981-84 Winter Atlas” – Lack, P.C. 1986: The Atlas of Wintering Birds in Britain and Ireland. T. & A. Poyser
“1988-91 Breeding Atlas” – Gibbons, D.W., Reid, J.B. & Chapman, R.A. 1993: The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland 1988-91. T. & A. Poyser
“Birds of Wiltshire” – Ferguson-Lees, I.J. et al. 2007 : Birds of Wiltshire, published by the tetrad atlas group of the Wiltshire Ornithological Society after mapping fieldwork 1995-2000. Wiltshire Ornithological Society.
“Bird Atlas 2007-2011” – Balmer, D.E., Gillings, S., Caffrey, B.J., Swann, R.L., Downie, I.S. and Fuller, R.J. 2013: Bird Atlas 2007-2011: the Breeding and Wintering Birds of Britain and Ireland
“WTA2” – ("Wiltshire Tetrad Atlas 2 ") the present electronic publication, bringing together the Wiltshire data from “Birds of Wiltshire” and “Bird Atlas 2007-11”, together with data from further fieldwork carried out in 2011 and 2012.
"Hobby" - the annual bird report of the Wiltshire Ornithological Society.