Quail classification

[rittert3]

So in a recent thread (about quail perching) we started talking about old world vs. new world quail. It turns out there is a mind boggling amount of differnt species, subspecies, races, and domestic varieties of quail. There are 32 species of new world quail and 15 species of old world quail. And like everything the names can get confusing. Some of us have started keeping harlequin quail and this is where I got confused when somebody told me they were the same as mearn's/ Montezuma quail.

Well I was just doing some reading here... http://www.gbwf.org/quail/index.html and it turns out that statement is both true and false Mearns are new world quail but sometimes called harlequin and Harlequin quail are old world quail. I think anyone who really wants a brain teaser about quail should go have a look at this site it is guaranteed to stump and amaze you.

 

[animal8]

Would this be anything like how people call Chinese quail 'Button quail', but the Button quail is an entirely different species that isn't even classed as a 'true' quail? It sounds like a similar situation

 

[rittert3]

something like that, lol I was pretty good at this stuff in school but it's still ALOT to take it let alone remember. Actually the owner of that site is on byc but hasn't been on for a long time, Tony K T knows of him and that site.