Quail

🔍 Overview

A small, elusive bird that visits Sussex in summer. More often heard than seen.

🪶 Key Identification Features

Size of a starling

Brown with striped back and pale belly

Short-tailed and rounded wings

🗺️ Habitat & Distribution

Prefers long grass and arable fields in warm summers. Unpredictable but has been recorded on the South Downs at Lancing Ring, Steep Down and Cissbury.

🎶 Voice & Behaviour

Distinctive “wet-my-lips” call repeated from cover, usually in May–August. Rarely seen in the open.