QUICK FACTS
Name: Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)
Where it lives: Steppes and meadows in Asia, notably China, India, Japan, Korea and Russia. It's also found in Africa and parts of Europe. Some populations are migratory.
What it eats: Seeds of grasses, as well as small insects and other invertebrates.
Japanese quail are small relatives of chickens and turkeys with one very unusual trait — males produce a unique seminal foam that resembles meringue.
