quail1 /kwāl, kweɪl 
/ ▸ noun (plural same or quails)
1 a small, short-tailed Old World game bird resembling a small partridge, typically having brown camouflaged plumage. Family
Phasianidae: three genera, in particular
Coturnix, and several species, e.g. the widespread migratory
common quail (
C. coturnix)
. 2 a small or medium-sized New World game bird, the male of which has distinctive facial markings. Family
Phasianidae (or
Odontophoridae): several genera and many species, including the bobwhite and the
Gambel's quail (
Callipepla gambelii) of the southwestern US
. – ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French quaille, from medieval Latin coacula (probably imitative of its call).
EnglishOxford New American Dictionary
