The Australiqn Bird Bander December,1967 Females orrue of rhe Australian euail,, Phasianidae(euail with hind toel). by H' 1. de s. Disney and Drawings by SondraBeresford, Austrarian Museum, sydney. !:: ::r :: : n! ailI : :::::::::!:!tl:ti i I' l: " 'li FEMALE STUBBLE QUAIL FEIUALE BROWN QUAIL FEMALE KING QUAIL STUBBLE QUAIL BROWN QUAIL 86 l The Australian Bird Bander December,1967 STUBBLE (Coturnix QUAIL per:roralis) Mantle and Back: White centre shafts 'square' to feathers with large black spots and narrower Female pale rufous bars. Length:7-7* inches(180-185 mm). Throat and Chin: Whitish buff. Primarics: Outer two equal in length and the next Rest of Underparts: Buff with dark brown bars almost the same tength (this applies with the each side ol' narrow white shaft. male also). Leg colour: Fleshy white. KING QUAIL (Excallactoria chinensis) Bitl (cutmen):Usually 12 mm (range 10-13; 20 measured). FemaIe Wing (flattened):Usual range 99-105 mm. Length: 4*-5 inches (108-127 mm). Line over eye: Well marked white stripe extend_ Primaries: The outer primaries vary in length ing to sides of neck. sometimesbeing similar to the StirUbleeJait and at other trmes similar to the Brown euail. Mantle and Back Large creamy buff spear_ This maybe a question of age. shapedcentres to feathers. Leg colour: Bright yellow. Throaf and Chin: Whitish, sometimeswith slieht spotting. BilI^(culmen):Usually 9-10 mm (range 9_l I mnr; l2 measured). Rest of Underparts Whitish buff streaked with Wing (flattened): dark brown. Usual range 65_74 mm. ^The p_luntagepattern of..the u_pp-erand under parls of the ^femaleRing euail is .iiriiir.-i" t-lrai ot tt" Brown Quail. BROWN QUAIL (Synoicus australis) Line over. eye: Broad rufous buff line extending Female down sides of neck. Mantle and Back: Similar to Brown Length: 6-8 inches (152-ZO3 mm). In euail;'.iquare, creamy Southern white centres to feathers with tirge Australia, about the same size as the Stubble black spots and narrow rufous Quail, but the size decreases birs. Thesc towards the-North. characters are rather variable. Io ]{"y Guinea, .similar variation occuis, the low.Qqd birds being smaller than those-found Rump: I-arge spear-shaped buff cream cenrres ar nlgner altrtudes. to feathers. Primaries:First fou-r-primaries nearly -applies equal, and Throat: Pale rufous. tne next one slightly- shorter (this with the male also). Chin: Whitish, tinged rufous. Leg colour: Yellow. Rest-of Undcrparts: Buff sometimestinged with rutous, .wlth strong black bars. Bel[ some_ Bill_(culmen): ttmes wrth Usually 13 mm (range 12_14 mm, and sometimes without bais. 1l measured). Wing-.(flattened):Usual__range 91_l0l mm----- (Aus_ SUMMARY OF DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS tralia), 82-103 mm (Nei Guineaj. _ The Stubble and Brown euail c_anbe separatedby the diffe-rence 'aiJmorrrt- Line. over eye: in outer primaries,unless itrese Indistinct pale to bufi stripe Ing, and also by the with -cleep eye stripe. dark brown spoti extendiiig'Ol*n siO.s of neck- , Blj*T. and King, euail can be separatedby size and by the line over the eye. 87.