Mangaluru: Bird watchers in Mangaluru spotted a rare King Quail in Kenjar near the Mangalore International Airport.
According to them, this is the first photographic record of the bird from South India.
The bird watchers spotted the bird by accident, feeding on the seed pods when they were taking pictures of other birds in the area. It was later identified by cross-checking its image with an online database for bird observations.
Also known as the blue-breasted Quail, Asian Blue Quail, Chinese Painted Quail or Chung-Chi, the King Quail is a species of the Old World Quail in the family Phasianidae. This species is the smallest “true quail” living in the wild from south-eastern Asia to Oceania with 10 different subspecies.
This bird is difficult to spot as it usually spends time amongst thick grass and shrubs.
The King Quail has mostly been spotted and photographed in the north-eastern state of Assam.