king quail

American  

[king kweyl] / ˈkɪŋ ˌkweɪl /

noun

1. a brightly colored true quail, Coturnix chinensis (orExcalfactoria chinensis ) of southern Asia and Australia, the smallest of the true quails, widely kept as a cage bird: the king quail is sometimes referred to as a button quail, but the button quails are very distant relatives and are not true quails.

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Etymology

Origin of king quail

First recorded in 1840–45

Example Sentences

Of Australian quail there are at least a dozen varieties, ranging from a small partridge down to the little king quail.

From Australian Pictures Drawn with Pen and Pencil by Willoughby, Howard