10
| PET GAZETTE | AVIAN
CHINESE PAINTED
QUAIL - THE BIRD
KEEPERS’ FRIEND
AND COMIC
In this issue, John Courteney-Smith profi les the small bird with a big personality
T
he Chinese Painted Quail,
also known as ‘Button
Quail’ has, over the years,
become a fi rm favourite
with those of us that have
aviaries or indoor fl ights.
This is a diminutive bird with a huge, rather
comical and altogether endearing personality.
Its small size, practical use and relative ease
of care equate to this bird being the perfect
addition for almost every bird keeper and a
good choice for a species kept in-store.
The Chinese Painted Quail (CPQ) for has
been kept within aviculture for a very long
time. On the whole, they can become quite
interactive and comical companion pets if
the keeper has the correct type of enclosure
and can provide for their core needs. They
also play a very useful role as an active
aviary ‘custodian’ when kept within a larger
collection, helping to clean up spilt seed.
This is a species that occurs over much of
southeast Asia where they inhabit warm grass
and scrublands. This is a ground dwelling
species that requires a safe home with plenty
of cover. This will reduce stressors and help
to keep the birds safe from accidental harm.
This is a tiny but hardy bird that can produce
a quite staggering number of eggs and
young over its lifetime; they are adaptive, well
designed and able to thrive pretty much in any
climate. Having said that, great care should be
taken to protect them from searing heat and
likewise frosts. Adequate and well-designed
coops can be bought or made to provide
them with the shelter that they will need in
these times.
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CPQ are robust but small birds. The hens
tend to be a little larger and heavier than the
cocks and will reach approximately 4 ½” -5”.
The cock bird is equally proportioned and 4- 4
½” from beak to tail.
This is a dimorphic species, as such we
are able to differentiate the sexes very easily
by sight. The hen of this species, within the
natural colour form are well marked in bands
of tawny browns, cream and sable - perfect
camoufl age when nesting in dried grasses
or scrubland. The hen also shows a rather
muted form of the black stripes across the
cheek that are so prominent for the cock bird.
The cock bird is dressed rather formally in a
steel grey or blue breast and wing covers with
mottled brown back. He has a stark white ring
around the throat which is topped by a black
tie. Above the central black line under the chin
and around the face there is another white
patch that arcs around the cheek to the ear
and draws as a line between the bottom of
the eye and the top of the beak. There is one
further straight black line running through the
centre of the upper white section. The cock
bird can also display browns or even conker
reds around the underparts around the belly.
In both sexes the feet are yellow and pink.
There are a number of quite common colour
mutations within this now quite domesticated
species. I myself prefer the natural colour
form, but also have a fondness for the silver.
Indeed, some keepers and breeders are quite
adept at producing colour mutations and will
base whole collections within the search for
new mutations.
This is a robust but rather nervous bird,
especially when fi rst introduced to a new home.
They can glide, but fl y poorly, typical panic
behaviour involves the bird erupting directly
upwards while calling. This in of itself, was a
major cause of captive harm in the old days
when it was common to keep a pair even in
large breeding fl ight cages. The birds would
erupt from the fl oor and injure their heads on
the top of the cage. As such, great care should
be taken to ensure that this species has easy
access to plenty of areas to escape and that
they are not kept in fl ights with low roofs.
Both birds strut as they walk, darting from
here to there in a ‘funny walk’. They are active
and inquisitive, if not a little shy around new
items placed within the living area; even new
food items can be treated with suspicion.
Usually however the cock will become
overcome with nosiness and soon fi nd that
the items poses no harm, it may even be
quite tasty.
Like most poultry, this is a species that
benefi ts greatly from a deep layer of natural,
mineral rich soil in which it can scrape,
forage and bathe. They will also bathe in
water if a shallow dish is provided. A natural
soil substrate can help greatly within the
procurement of natural minerals. However, it
is vital that full-spectrum natural base minerals
including freely available calcium are available
within the diet also. Grits, oyster shell, cuttle
bone and iodine blocks must be provided well
and at intervals around the fl ight and at a level
that these ground dwelling birds can reach.
This is an opportunistic feeder, scratching
and foraging well over much of the day,
they will feast on a multitude of seeds, fruits,
March 2019