Japanese Quail

SCI Name:  Coturnix japonica
Protonym:  Coturnix vulgaris japonica FaunaJap.Aves[Siebold] p.103 pl.61
Taxonomy:  Galliformes / Phasianidae / Coturnix
Taxonomy Code:  japqua
Type Locality:  Japan.
Author:  Temminck & Schlegel
Publish Year:  1849
IUCN Status:  Near Threatened

DEFINITIONS

COTURNIX
(Phasianidae; Ϯ Common Quail C. coturnix) L. coturnix, coturnicis  quail; "40^e  GENRE. { Caille. Le bec court, en cône-recourbé: les narines ovales, demi-fermées: la langue entière, pointue: point d'espace nud derrière les yeux: les pieds sans éperons.   Coturnix.  Rostrum breve, conico-incurvum: nares ovatæ, semi-tectæ: lingua integra, acuta: area pone oculos nulla: pedes mutici." (Bonnaterre 1791); "Coturnix Bonnaterre, Tabl. Encyc. Méth., Orn., pt. 1, 1791, p. lxxxvii. Type, by tautonymy, "Caille" = Tetrao coturnix Linné." (Peters, 1934, II, p. 91). The Common Quail was formerly an abundant migrant summer visitor to Europe, but its numbers are now declining (see quelea and quiscula).
Var. Coturuix.
Synon. Compsortyx, Maroturnia, Ortygion, Palaeoperdix, Palaeortyx, Perdortyx, Pseudortigion, Schaubortyx, Zecoturnix.

coturnix
L. coturnix, coturnicis  quail; “91. TETRAO.  ...  Coturnix.  13. T. pedibus nudis, corpore griseo-maculato, superciliis albis, rectricibus margine lunulaque ferruginea. Fn. svec. 173.  Coturnix. Gesn. av. 353. Aldr. orn. l. 13. c. 22. Jonst. av. 69. t. 28. Raj. av. 58. Alb. av. I. p. 28. t. 30.  Tetrao israelitarum. Hasselq. it. 279. n. 44.  Habitat in Europa, Asia, Africa.  Pennæ corporis ferrugineæ linea longitudinali albida.  Chinenses vivum portanda manus calefaciunt. Osb. itin. 190." (Linnaeus 1758) (Coturnix).

japanensis / japanicus / japensis / japonensis / japonica / japonicum / japonicus
Japan (Mod. English names (early examples including Giapan) were derived from a Portuguese corruption of Malay Jepang and Chinese Zeppen, themselves local renderings of Nippon). The French equivalent is Japon.
● ex “Japonese Eagle” of Latham 1781 (subsp. Falco peregrinus).
● ex “Grue du Japon” of Brisson 1760 (Grus).
● Erroneous TL Japan (= New Guinea); ex “Psittacus erythrochlorus macrourus” of Aldrovandus 12599, and “Psittaca japonica” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Charmosyna papou).