Bizarre Craigslist interaction

[Tankueray]

now they are offering for me to come to there house and they wilp vuy them if i dont want them comingover and they will show me what "real Excalfactoria chinensis" look like they say, i through that last one on them by asking who wrote the definitive work on excalfactoria chinensis, since they are trying to act smart, and honestly there isnt a lot of books on these guys, i got me a sociopath lol
(Says i do in the ad)

Admittedly I'm not a quail person, but I am a biologist and I know my taxonomy. Maybe you already know this and can point me to the "quail for dummies" cliffs notes explaining it but, I think I see where the confusion lies...

Taxonomy changes all the time when missing links are found. It appears that Linnaeus initially put E. chinensis in the order Galliformes (genus Coturnix) in 1766; some DNA sequencing studies were conducted in the 1970's and 80's, and the result was that in the early 2000's they were moved into a different order, Charadriiformes, which excludes them from the evolutionary lineage of the Coturnix quails. (i.e., they're not related at all, other than being birds) If I go dig out my college taxonomy books, they should be listed in the genus Coturnix.

Anyone without training in taxonomy wouldn't know that. So, let's do what every idiot does when they want to win a bar bet...Oh Wiki-Pee-Dee-a!!!

E. chinensis, A.K.A. the King Quail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_quail

It is quite common in aviculture worldwide, where it is sometimes misleadingly known as the "button quail", which is the name of an only very distantly related family of birds, the buttonquails.

Um, people were probably calling it that well before the taxonomy change, and the actual term "buttonquail" for the other bird probably was, and still is, mostly only used by biologists, because it usually has something to do with the etymology of the taxonomic name, whereas "button quail" probably came about from normal people over a long period of time due to its tiny cuteness (or possible literal translation of the common name in its origin's native tongue.) I vote cuteness.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttonquail

Buttonquail or hemipodes are members of a small family of birds, Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae.

The buttonquails in the genus Turnix range from 12 to 23 cm (4.7–9.1 in) in length and weigh between 30 to 130 g (1.1–4.6 oz). They superficially resemble the true quails of the genus Coturnix, but differ from them in lacking a hind toe and a crop. The females of this family also possess a unique vocal organ created by an enlarged trachea and inflatable bulb in the oesophagus, which they use to produce a booming call.

$10 will get you $20 that dude's got Coturnix quails of some flavor but since he got his degree from the University of Wikipedia, he thinks he can bullshit you into thinking you don't have purebreds and get them from you for free. He would have no desire for your birds otherwise. (And if he really knew better, he'd ask about the number of toes, but he's literally arguing a negative here, which is just moronic.)

I deal with something similar all the time with Ameraucanas and EEs. All you have to do is say that you never said you had buttonquail, you have button quail.

My next question is, are they rare/valuable or something? He asked about the parents twice, which makes me think that his ultimate plan is to get them from you by scam or theft.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

My next question is, are they rare/valuable or something? He asked about the parents twice, which makes me think that his ultimate plan is to get them from you by scam or theft.

He probably wants to see the parents so he can say that the parents obviously aren't purebreds, hence these not being purebred

 

[Tankueray]

Taxonomy changes all the time when missing links are found. It appears that Linnaeus initially put E. chinensis in the order Galliformes (genus Coturnix) in 1766; some DNA sequencing studies were conducted in the 1970's and 80's, and the result was that in the early 2000's they were moved into a different order, Charadriiformes, which excludes them from the evolutionary lineage of the Coturnix quails. (i.e., they're not related at all, other than being birds) If I go dig out my college taxonomy books, they should be listed in the genus Coturnix.

Aw crap. See, this stuff can get so complicated I even tripped myself up here. I don't have the background on the change from Coturnix chinensis to Excalfactoria chinensis.

It should read like this:

Taxonomy changes all the time when missing links are found. It appears that Linnaeus initially put (one word) buttonquail from the family Turnicidae in the order Galliformes (genus Coturnix) in 1766; some DNA sequencing studies were conducted in the 1970's and 80's, and the result was that in the early 2000's they were moved into a different order, Charadriiformes, which excludes them from the evolutionary lineage of the Coturnix quails. (i.e., they're not related at all, other than being birds) If I go dig out my college taxonomy books, they should be listed in the genus Coturnix.

This, along with the common name confusion explanation, is why people might think that (one word) buttonquail is an actual quail, and somehow related to the King Quail (button quail).

Clear as mud, right?

 

[FloorCandy]

Admittedly I'm not a quail person, but I am a biologist and I know my taxonomy. Maybe you already know this and can point me to the "quail for dummies" cliffs notes explaining it but, I think I see where the confusion lies...

Taxonomy changes all the time when missing links are found. It appears that Linnaeus initially put E. chinensis in the order Galliformes (genus Coturnix) in 1766; some DNA sequencing studies were conducted in the 1970's and 80's, and the result was that in the early 2000's they were moved into a different order, Charadriiformes, which excludes them from the evolutionary lineage of the Coturnix quails. (i.e., they're not related at all, other than being birds) If I go dig out my college taxonomy books, they should be listed in the genus Coturnix.

Anyone without training in taxonomy wouldn't know that. So, let's do what every idiot does when they want to win a bar bet...Oh Wiki-Pee-Dee-a!!!

E. chinensis, A.K.A. the King Quail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_quail

Um, people were probably calling it that well before the taxonomy change, and the actual term "buttonquail" for the other bird probably was, and still is, mostly only used by biologists, because it usually has something to do with the etymology of the taxonomic name, whereas "button quail" probably came about from normal people over a long period of time due to its tiny cuteness (or possible literal translation of the common name in its origin's native tongue.) I vote cuteness.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttonquail


$10 will get you $20 that dude's got Coturnix quails of some flavor but since he got his degree from the University of Wikipedia, he thinks he can bullshit you into thinking you don't have purebreds and get them from you for free. He would have no desire for your birds otherwise. (And if he really knew better, he'd ask about the number of toes, but he's literally arguing a negative here, which is just moronic.)

I deal with something similar all the time with Ameraucanas and EEs. All you have to do is say that you never said you had buttonquail, you have button quail.

My next question is, are they rare/valuable or something? He asked about the parents twice, which makes me think that his ultimate plan is to get them from you by scam or theft.

I also think this guy wants to steal your Quail. He’s probably hoping you keep them outside and he can steal them at night.

 

[Ravenlover]

I also think this guy wants to steal your Quail. He’s probably hoping you keep them outside and he can steal them at night.

@FloorCandy ever give your quail cherries? Fiancée wants to know if anubis can have one

 

[FloorCandy]

@FloorCandy ever give your quail cherries? Fiancée wants to know if anubis can have one

Nope, I’ve never given them cherries, I mostly give mine weeds and yard nonsense dandelions, clover, tall grass with seeds on top etc.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

Aw crap. See, this stuff can get so complicated I even tripped myself up here. I don't have the background on the change from Coturnix chinensis to Excalfactoria chinensis.

It should read like this:

This, along with the common name confusion explanation, is why people might think that (one word) buttonquail is an actual quail, and somehow related to the King Quail (button quail).

Clear as mud, right?

Methinks you overthink. Dude isn't that sophisticated. He's just a run-of-the mill con.

 

[Tankueray]

Methinks you overthink.

Yeah, that happens to me a lot.

 

[FloorCandy]

First ever sale went smooth the guy listened and everything hand over the money even came with a small tote see through with pine shavings ! I feel good for the babies i gave him the two biggest whites which i think might be male(sold the one i hated the lil a%#) and the bigged dark and smallest dark which were vlads babies, now shana is down to her last two yellows and her only dark,

A lot of people bring totes or cages, I’m like, leave them in the box, they can fly lol. I collect boxes from my family and friends for bird sales.

 

[Ravenlover]

A lot of people bring totes or cages, I’m like, leave them in the box, they can fly lol. I collect boxes from my family and friends for bird sales.

I informed him to maybe bring a box with towl, but he listened to all the tidbits of info from each email interaction, and brought one and picked up pine shaving , so i have hope the babies will have a good life, told him the totes fine till he gets home (was a small one), suggested a towl to keep them warm and he picked a time were its hot during the day so they would be fine smart guy