Stubble Quail
Encyclopedia
The Stubble Quail, Coturnix pectoralis is an Australian quail of the family Phasianidae
. It has sometimes been considered conspecific with the extinct New Zealand Quail
. In this case, the latter species' name would have priority and the Stubble Quail would become Coturnix novaezelandiae pectoralis. However, while phylogenetic analysis of three separate mitochondrial control region sequences in 2009 showed a close phylogeneic relationship between the two birds, it confirmed that they are separate species.
This species is found across much of eastern, southern, south-eastern and south-western Australia
and Tasmania
. It inhabits agricultural areas, wet grasslands, coastal heaths, roadsides and neglected pastures. Its conservation status is considered to be of Least Concern
.
Phasianidae
The Phasianidae is a family of birds which consists of the pheasants and partridges, including the junglefowl , Old World Quail, francolins, monals and peafowl. The family is a large one, and is occasionally broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae, and the Perdicinae...
. It has sometimes been considered conspecific with the extinct New Zealand Quail
New Zealand Quail
The New Zealand Quail , or koreke , has been extinct since 1875. The male and female were similar, except the female was lighter. The first scientist to describe it was Sir Joseph Banks when he visited New Zealand on James Cook's first voyage...
. In this case, the latter species' name would have priority and the Stubble Quail would become Coturnix novaezelandiae pectoralis. However, while phylogenetic analysis of three separate mitochondrial control region sequences in 2009 showed a close phylogeneic relationship between the two birds, it confirmed that they are separate species.
This species is found across much of eastern, southern, south-eastern and south-western Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. It inhabits agricultural areas, wet grasslands, coastal heaths, roadsides and neglected pastures. Its conservation status is considered to be of Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
.