“But those who wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
QUEEN CAROLA’S PAROTIA [Wikipedia image]
Learning to wait is a virtue, called patience (Romans 8:25; Galatians 6:9; 1st Corinthians 13:4), and waiting in line is often called “queueing up”. So here are 3 birds to “Q up” our appreciation for avian variety.
QUEEN CAROLA’S PAROTIA [ eBird.org photo credit ]
QUEEN CAROLA’S PAROTIA, also called “Queen Carola’s 6-wired Bird-of-Paradise”, are endemic (natively populated) only to New Guinea, the largest island in the Indonesian archipelago. Parotias are part of the bird-of-paradise family, and like their cousins, they perform histrionic ballet-like dances (called “leks”) upon forest dance-floors (flat areas of forest floor swept clean of loose vegetation and debris). In such dances the male hops around and bobs his crest-feathered head, like a bobble-head toy, puffing his chest plumage, fluttering his wings, fanning his kilt-like feathers, and other enthusiastic displays of “showing off for the girls”.
ROCK PTARMIGAN [Cornell Lab of Ornithology photo credit ]
QUAIL are various “galliform” ground-fowl (chicken-like birds), such as bobwhite quail, California quail, partridges, ptarmigans, and red grouse. Willow ptarmigans and rock ptarmigans have feather-covered feet and toes, resembling snowshoe rabbits. Like snowshoe rabbits (with winter “snow” coats and brown summer coats), the Rock Ptarmigan’s white winter plumage camouflages with snow, and its brown summer plumage with wooded areas.
QUETZAL [Mexico Daily News photo]
QUETZALS are fancy trogon-birds, sporting flamboyant colors and long streamer-tails. Latin American jungles and subtropical wet forests are habitats of Pavonine Quetzals, Crested Quetzals, Resplendent Quetzals, Golden-headed Quetzals, and White-tipped Quetzals. Eared Quetzals live near streams in Mexico’s pine-oak forests and canyons.
King Quail (Excalfactoria chinensis) by Kent Nickell
Scripture Alphabet of Animals: The Quail
By Harriet N. Cook (1814-1843)
The quail is about the size of a pigeon. It is called a bird of passage, because it does not always live in the same place, but spends the winter in one country, and in the spring flies away to another. In their journies, they fly together in very large flocks, as you have perhaps seen wild geese or pigeons do. A great many spend the summer north of the Black Sea, and when autumn comes they fly away to spend the winter in some warmer place, farther south. They usually start early some fine evening in August, when there is a north wind to help them on, and fly perhaps a hundred and fifty miles before morning. The people on the opposite shore of the Black Sea know about what time to look for them, and catch a great many of them for food.
Californian Quail by Ian
God sometimes sent quails to the children of Israel when they were in the wilderness. Once they complained because they had no meat to eat, pretty soon after God had saved them from the hand of Pharaoh; and then he brought a great many quails into their camp, so that they had as many as they wanted for food. At another time, when they were on their journey, these ungrateful people complained again, and wished they were back in Egypt, where they could have “fish, and melons, and cucumbers,” as they said. Then God saw fit to send them quails again, though he was very much displeased with their wickedness; so much so that he sent a dreadful sickness among them, of which many died. The Bible says,
And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails; he that gathered least, gathered ten homers; and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.
Painted Buttonquail (Turnix varius) by Ian
The number of these quails was very wonderful. They covered the ground all around the camp, and as far every way as a person could go in a “day’s journey,” by which they meant twenty miles or more. And they not only covered all that ground, but were piled upon each other, to the height of more than a yard. The people gathered great quantities of them; probably they intended to dry a part, which is still a custom in those hot and sandy countries. “He that gathered least,” we read, “gathered ten homers.” A homer was about eight bushels, or as much as an ass could carry at a load; and ten homers, of course, was about eighty bushels. You see how eager the people were to get them, for they could not even sleep at night through fear that they should not have as many as they wanted; so they stood up to gather them “all that day, and all that night, and all the next day.”
These things are several times spoken of in other parts of the Bible, especially in the 78th Psalm. It is there said,
He rained flesh upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea. And he let it fall in the midst of the camp, round about their habitations. So they did eat, and were well filled, for he gave them their own desire; but while the meat was yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them.
Perhaps it was not wrong for the children of Israel to ask for meat to eat, but God was displeased with them for their complaining spirit notwithstanding all his goodness; and although he gave them what they asked, it proved to be only a curse to them. This may teach us to be grateful for the thousand blessings that God has given us, and when we ask any thing from him, to be willing that he should deny us if he sees best.
Jesus said: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink . . . Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, . . . your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26)
For ushering in the year of our Lord 2020, below follows the sixth advance installment of alphabet-illustrating birds of the world, as part of this new series (“Birds Are Wonderful — and Some Are a Little Weird“*). The letter P is illustrated by Pinyon Jay, Puffins, and Peafowl. The letter Q illustrated by Quail, Quetzal, and Queen Carola’s Parotia. The letter L illustrated by Rhea, Raven, and Roadrunner.
“P” BIRDS: Pinyon Jay, Puffins, and Peafowl.
“Q” BIRDS: Quail, Quetzal, and Queen Carola’s Parotia.
“R” BIRDS: Rhea, Raven, and Roadrunner.
Birds are truly wonderful — and some, like the Peacock and Quetzal, are exquisitely beautiful, while others, like the rattlesnake-killing Roadrunner, are fascinatingly unusual, if not also odd-looking! (Stay tuned for more, D.v.)
* Quoting from “Birds Are Wonderful, and Some Are a Little Weird”, (c) AD2019 James J. S. Johnson [used here by permission].
The Perdix genus has the Grey Partridge, Daurian Partridge, and the Tibetan Partridges. Perdix is a genus of Galliform gamebirds known collectively as the ‘true partridges’. The genus name is the Latin for “partridge”, and is itself derived from Ancient Greek perdix. These birds are unrelated to the subtropical species that have been named after the partridge due to similar size and morphology. There are representatives of Perdix in most of temperate Europe and Asia. One member of the genus, the grey partridge, has been introduced to the United States and Canada for the purpose of hunting. They are closely related to grouse, koklass, quail and pheasants.
Long-billed Partridge and Hose’s Partridge belong to the Rhizothera genus. Rhizothera is a genus of bird native to Malaysia. Established by George Robert Gray in 1841.
Madagascan Partridge (Margaroperdix madagarensis) found only in Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Black Partridge are in genus Melanoperdix. The black partridge occurs in lowland rainforests of Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra in southeast Asia. It was formerly found but is long extinct on Singapore. The female usually lays five to six white eggs.
The two Forest Partridges are the Udzungwa Forest Partridge and the Rubeho Forest Partridge (Xenoperdix). Both species have boldly barred plumage and a red bill. Xenoperdix are found only in forests of the Udzungwa Mountains and the Rubeho Highlands of Tanzania.
The largest genus today are Partridges in the Arborophila group. They are the Hill, Rufous-throated, White-cheeked, Taiwan Partridge, Chestnut-breasted, Bar-backed, Sichuan, White-necklaced, Orange-necked, Chestnut-headed, Siamese, Malaysian, Roll’s, Sumatran, Grey-breasted, Chestnut-bellied, Red-billed, Red-breasted, Hainan Partridge, Chestnut-necklaced , and the Green-legged Partridge. The genus has the second most members within the Galliformes after Francolinus although Arborophila species vary very little in bodily proportions with different species varying only in colouration/patterning and overall size. These are fairly small, often brightly marked partridges found in forests of eastern and southern Asia
There are three more genera with only one bird; Ferruginous Partridge (Caloperdix oculeus), Crimson-headed Partridge (Haematortyx sanguiniceps), and the Crested Partridge (Rollulus rouloul.
We finish off this week’s Avian Wonders from the Lord with the Bambusicola genus with the Mountain Bamboo Partridge, Chinese Bamboo Partridge, and the Taiwan Bamboo Partridge.
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“And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:” (Hebrews 1:10 KJV)
“And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.” (Numbers 11:31 KJV)
Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata) by DavesBirdingPix
Gambel’s Quail and Dan at Desert Mus-Tucson by Lee
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. (Psalms 95:6 KJV)
Bow down Your ear to me, deliver me speedily! Be my Rock of refuge, a strong Fortress to save me! Yes, You are my Rock and my Fortress; therefore for Your name’s sake lead me and guide me. (Psalms 31:2-3 AMP)
Ian’s Horned Parakeet newsletter showed that the “horn” was really feathers. While on vacation, we also saw birds with prominent feathers. One was walking around the aviary and it was near Dan. He was kneeling down to get a photo and I caught him doing so.
Those western quails like to parade around like they are Royalty. Not really, but they are cute with that bobbing curved topknot. It bobs because of the way they walk around putting their head up and down or “bobbing”.
Gambel’s Quail by Dan at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
The first quail we encountered were three Gambel’s Quail marching across the road on a street in Tuscon. Then in an aviary we saw this Gambel’s Quail. This is what Dan was taking while I was taking his photo.
We also saw the Scaled Quail there at the Desert Museum’s aviary.
Scaled Quail by Dan at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Here are the photos we took of these two quail at the aviary on our vacation:
Gambel’s Quail (Callipepla gambelii) Desert Mus-Tucson by Lee
Gambel’s Quail (Callipepla gambelii) Desert Mus-Tucson by Lee
Gambel’s Quail (Callipepla gambelii) Desert Mus-Tucson by Lee
Gambel’s Quail (Callipepla gambelii) Desert Mus-Tucson by Lee
Gambel’s Quail and Dan at Desert Mus-Tucson by Lee
Gambel’s Quail and Dan at Desert Mus-Tucson by Lee
Gambel’s Quail by Dan at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Gambel’s Quail by Dan at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Scaled Quail by Dan at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (Romans 14:11 KJV)
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11 KJV)
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The Gambel’s quail(Callipepla gambelii) is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It inhabits the desert regions of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and Sonora; also New Mexico-border Chihuahua and the Colorado River region of Baja California. The Gambel’s quail is named in honor of William Gambel, a 19th-century naturalist and explorer of the Southwestern United States. (Wikipedia)
The Scaled quail(Callipepla squamata), also commonly called blue quail or cottontop, is a species of the New World quail family. It is a bluish gray bird found in the arid regions of the Southwestern United States to Central Mexico. This bird is named for the scaly appearance of its breast and back feathers. Along with its scaly markings, the bird is easily identified by its white crest that resembles a tuft of cotton. (Wikipedia)
It has been almost two years since the Quail have been written about. Birds of the Bible – Quail was early in this blogs history, so decided to write more about them.
The Bible has four references to quail and they are all found in the Old Testament. They refer to the time that the Israelites were in the desert after they had left Egypt by way of the Red Sea. They had been complaining about their lack of food, so the LORD answered them with:
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. (Exodus 16:11-13 KJV)
So, their request was taken care of every morning and evening. Just as today, we have a promise:
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 KJV)
That incident took place on the 15th day of the second month after coming out of Egypt. Then right around the 20th day of the second month of the second year, they started complaining again about not having flesh to eat.
We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. (Numbers 11:5-6 KJV)
“Poor me! All we have to eat is manna, manna, manna.” Can you hear them? God wanted them to trust Him. God promises to meet our needs, not necessarily our wants. This is where the incident written about in the first article came about. They were well taken care of, even their shoes did not wear out in the 40 years they spent in the wilderness. Read Psalm 105 where it tells about all the LORD did for them. In Psalm 105:40 it says, “The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.”
Are we satisfied with what the Lord has provided or do we go around with a protruding lower lip saying, “Poor me!” I trust your lip is normal and that you can say along with Paul:
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (Philippians 4:11 KJV)
King Quail (Excalfactoria chinensis) by Kent Nickell
The Quail are numerous around the world and they are found in several families of birds. The Odontophoridae – New World Quail Family (34 members) includes not only Quails, but also 4 Bobwhites, 1 Francolin, and 4 Partridges. The Phasianidae – Pheasants, Fowl & Allies Family has 181 members. That is probably where the Quails mentioned in the wilderness came from because they are of the Old World area. That family has 13 Quail and a mix of other related birds including Turkeys, Pheasants and Peacocks. Both of these families are in the Galliformes Order.
Old World quail are the smallest birds in their family and are about 5 in (12-13 cm). The New World ones are 7-15 in (17-37 cm) long. They are very similar but are placed in the two families by ornithologists. They have short thick beaks with chunky bodies. Most do not make long flights and mainly fly when flushed. They are mostly seed and vegetation eaters, but some do eat insects.
Here in the U.S., the Northern Bobwhite’s call is very familiar.
Our Bird of the Bible this week is not on the “unclean” list for a change. In fact, this bird can be eaten and is raised just for that purpose in many parts of the world. Searching the internet, you can find all kinds of recipes for quail. What has that got to do with our Quail?
Gambel's Quail
The children of Israel were in the wilderness, doing their constant grumbling, and they asked for “more to eat”. They were not satisfied with what God was providing. They wanted “more.” So:
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’ ” So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground.(Exodus 16:11-14 NKJV)
Now a wind went out from the LORD, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague. So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving.(Numbers 11:31-34 NKJV)
The people asked, and He brought quail, And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.(Psalms 105:40 NKJV)
The commentaries on these Scriptures varied somewhat. Some suggested that these were not “quails” but “locusts”. Most concede that they were “quails”. Then, they debated about the “about two cubits above the surface of the ground.” Were they piled two cubits high or were they flying around at that level? If they were piled deep, they would suffocate and die, making them uneatable according to their law. So, with these questions in mind, here is how the Quail behave:
“Rapid direct flight, series of several stiff wing beats followed by a short glide”, “Escapes danger by running. Direct flight with rapid deep wing beats”. “Small, chunky, short-tailed, round-winged, ground-dwelling bird”, “Secretive. Squats and sits motionless when alarmed”, and “keeping hidden in crops, and reluctant to fly, preferring to creep away instead. Even when flushed, it keeps low and soon drops back into cover.” Sounds like they would be easy to catch.
“There are 130 species of quails worldwide. They are small, short-tailed game birds of the family Phasianidae (order Galliformes), resembling partridges but generally smaller and less robust. The 36 species of New World quail more nearly resemble Old World partridges”, from From borealforest.org, “California Quail.”
We have the California, Scaled, Mountain, Gambel’s (The bird’s average length is 11 inches (30 cm) with a wingspan of 14-16 inches (35-40 cm) , Montezuma Quails and the Northern Bobwhite here in North America. Several have a head plume and many are quite colorful.
Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 