Harlequin Quail (Coturnix delegorouel)
Standard Length – 6½ inches.
Standard Weight – 57-71g
Life Span – up to 5 years
Clutch Size – 3-9 eggs
Incubation Period – 15-18 days @ 37.6°
Breeding Ratio – Best kept in pairs as cocks can sometimes fight
POL – 12-14 weeks
Breeding season – October-March
Harlequin quail originate from southern Africa and are found in areas of long grass and bush.
The breeding season is usually linked to the rainy season and they will lay their eggs after the hard rains. They will lay 3-9 eggs, cream in colour with small black blotches, in a shallow scrape in the ground, usually lined with grass. Incubation takes 15-17 days and is carried out by the hen alone. She can lay up to three clutches a year. Fertility is not as good as it should be in this country due to inbreeding. Chicks are born a buff colour with dark brown stripes.
Their diet consists of plant shoots and leaves and invertebrates. They also love mealworms.
They can be easily sexed. The male has a black chest with a chestnut colour at either side. He also has a white facial mask similar to a Chinese Painted Quail. The female is a brown colour, perfect camouflage. Harlequin quail are sometimes mistaken for Rain Quail which have very similar markings.
They can live in an aviary and will get on well with Chinese Painted Quail. They can be quite noisy when the cock bird is on his own and is calling for a hen. They can be flighty when spooked and will fly straight up, so a padded ceiling is a must if they are in a low-ceilinged hutch, for example. They can be incubated and reared the same as a Chinese Painted Quail.
