quail1

noun (plural same or quails)

• 1a small short-tailed Old World game bird resembling a tiny partridge, typically having brown camouflaged plumage.

  • Family Phasianidae: three genera, in particular Coturnix, and several species, e.g. the widespread migratory common quail (C. coturnix)

• 2a small or medium-sized New World game bird, the male of which has distinctive facial markings.

  • Family Phasianidae (or Odontophoridae): several genera and many species, including the bobwhite