Understand quail calls - coturnix

[QuailTail]

Hey everyone!

I've had my quail now for 2 weeks and would love to know more about their different noises.

Outside of the male crowing, they most commonly make a repetitive low, croaking noise (kind of like a frog?) and a repetitive sort of... cricket-like chirping. They don't open their beaks to make either sound, and they're very soft noises. I haven't been able to catch either in a video, can anyone recognise what these sounds mean based on my descriptions? Otherwise I will have to hover and see if I can catch them.

Thanks in advance!

 

[FloorCandy]

Hey everyone!

I've had my quail now for 2 weeks and would love to know more about their different noises.

Outside of the male crowing, they most commonly make a repetitive low, croaking noise (kind of like a frog?) and a repetitive sort of... cricket-like chirping. They don't open their beaks to make either sound, and they're very soft noises. I haven't been able to catch either in a video, can anyone recognise what these sounds mean based on my descriptions? Otherwise I will have to hover and see if I can catch them.

Thanks in advance!

I’m having trouble imagining the frog sound, but the cricket sound is common and normal and means they’re nervous. It can be anything from you approached the cage, to they heard an unfamiliar sound, or even that local wild birds sound the alarm outside. Once they’re scared they start alarm calling which can be varrying degrees of loudness and often sounds like Bee-DOOP repeated.

 

[QuailTail]

I’m having trouble imagining the frog sound, but the cricket sound is common and normal and means they’re nervous. It can be anything from you approached the cage, to they heard an unfamiliar sound, or even that local wild birds sound the alarm outside. Once they’re scared they start alarm calling which can be varrying degrees of loudness and often sounds like Bee-DOOP repeated.

It's tricky to describe! Quite similar to the cricket sound, just lower in tone. I'll see if I can catch it in a video tomorrow. Bummer about the chirping noise - they make it all the time I was hoping it was a contented noise, ha! It's definitely because I'm in the cage. I try to go in every day and sit with them for a while so they get used to me, so obviously they're still super uncomfortable with me being there.

 

[QuailTail]

I’m having trouble imagining the frog sound, but the cricket sound is common and normal and means they’re nervous. It can be anything from you approached the cage, to they heard an unfamiliar sound, or even that local wild birds sound the alarm outside. Once they’re scared they start alarm calling which can be varrying degrees of loudness and often sounds like Bee-DOOP repeated.

Okay so I caught a couple of different noises this morning! There's a lot of other bird calls in the background, sorry - outdoor aviary! I've uploaded them to google drive so hopefully they're accessible files.

This is the frog noise coming from the middle male (at the beginning, then they got distracted by another bird):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13pxwEmCwylwgnn2vtjZzEMgSACJ0e0OP/view?usp=sharing

Then there's this, which I assume is a nervous sound:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13tviJCbzYCFVJhBWmNbyzu-b71P0v2Lf/view?usp=sharing

This one is coming from the female at the very back right, who's mostly hidden by the timber support. Might be hard to hear, it's kind of like a soft hooting:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13x8siXC9eWadMKXJcps3LaNoxUJNvf9i/view?usp=sharing

And then the same female up the back making this sound - is this a locator call? Another quail picks it up but I'm not sure which.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/148ZZTQnidTc41b1U5NaunRgzi59pMsgm/view?usp=sharing

 

[QuailTail]

Bumping this back up, any suggestions on what these calls could mean?

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

First one sounds like tidbitting, where the male has (or pretends to have) something for the female so he can attract and mount her.

Last one sounds like a locator call, like a vocal version of a hand wave to others.

Other ones I'm not sure of.

 

[Boppo]

The sound like a cricket that my females make, I take to be a sort of nervous alarm call. They aren't panicking but they are nervous. But one of my hens today started making a little sound that is like a tea kettle whistle, softly. I have no idea.

My quail also make a very sweet little chuckle when they get something they really enjoy. If I give them mealworms or greens (I don't give greens more than once a week or so because they stop wanting them if they get them all the time. Once a week and it's an exciting treat), or a grow mat with micro greens. That little purring chuckle I understand and enjoy hearing.

Of course, the males crow, mostly if they are unhappy or competing.

 

[Nabiki]

The sound like a cricket that my females make, I take to be a sort of nervous alarm call. They aren't panicking but they are nervous. But one of my hens today started making a little sound that is like a tea kettle whistle, softly. I have no idea.

My quail also make a very sweet little chuckle when they get something they really enjoy. If I give them mealworms or greens (I don't give greens more than once a week or so because they stop wanting them if they get them all the time. Once a week and it's an exciting treat), or a grow mat with micro greens. That little purring chuckle I understand and enjoy hearing.

Of course, the males crow, mostly if they are unhappy or competing.

That tea kettle whistle sounds like egg song. They make that sound shortly before, during, or after laying an egg.

 

[ButtonNomies]

Is this what u mean by the frog sound? This is one of my male buttons crowing, they sound like frogs when they expand their crops Personally I love the sound.

 

[threeepeat]

Just today, one of my 6 week old hens made a new sound that pretty much sounds exactly like a repetitive cricket sounds. You can see her open her beak to make the sound. My guess is that she is calling to nearby roos that she cannot see, or her first egg is coming. I honestly have no idea haha, but she is not really looking panicked and the environment hasn't changed at all.