Blue Quail (Synoicus adansonii)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Blue Quail

Synoicus adansonii (Verreaux, J & Verreaux, É, 1851)

14–16 cmLength40 gWeight

The blue quail or African blue quail (Synoicus adansonii) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae found in sub-Saharan Africa.

Busiest months: December · Most records: Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Blue Quail has been recorded at 23 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 9 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Rio Savanne WetlandsMozambique19 records
  2. Shai Hills Resource ReserveGhana5 records
  3. Mutinondo WildernessZambia5 records
More places
  1. Akagera NP – Southern AreaRwanda3 records
  2. Queen Elizabeth II NPUganda3 records
  3. KinjilaAngola2 records
  4. Nyungwe Forest NPRwanda2 records
  5. Brenu Beach – grasslandsGhana2 records
  6. Lochinvar NPZambia2 records
  7. Queen Elizabeth NP – Ishasha RdUganda2 records

Countries and regions with the most records

MozambiqueUgandaZambiaGhanaRwandaKenyaAngolaTanzania

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The blue quail or African blue quail (Synoicus adansonii) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae found in sub-Saharan Africa.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Blue Quail?

The Blue Quail is about 14–16 cm long and weighs around 40 g.

Where does the Blue Quail live?

Its breeding range: Africa: widespread south of the Sahara. It is most often recorded in Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia.

When is the best time to see the Blue Quail?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in December (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Blue Quail endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Blue Quail as Least Concern.

What does the Blue Quail eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Blue Quail in?

It belongs to the family Pheasants & Allies (Phasianidae), order Galliformes.

At a glance

Length
14–16 cm
Weight
40 g
Habitat
Grassland
Diet
Omnivore
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
74 mm
Tail
33 mm
Bill
11 mm
Tarsus
17 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: widespread south of the Sahara

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Pheasants & Allies Phasianidae
Genus
Synoicus

Other birds in the genus Synoicus

Blue Quail

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Raphaël Jordan. ↗

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