Aren’t pheasant and quail the same thing? A lot of people assume that to be true, but it isn’t. They are birds that differ in size, color, lifespan, diet, habitat, species and temperament.
Differences
If you were looking at both pheasants and quails, you’d see that quails are usually the smaller of the two. Meanwhile, pheasants are usually brighter in color– unless they’re females. Pheasants are related to turkeys, and they stand out with their bright colors and patterns of feathers. If the bird you’re looking at is between 21 and 24 inches long and weighs up to 3 pounds, almost looking like a small turkey, it’s probably a pheasant. Quails, which may look like a smaller version of pheasant, range in length from 6 to 7 inches, kind of like the size of crows or canaries. Pheasants colors may include red and blue and/or gold, while quails tend to be variations of white, tan, gray and brown– not as bold looking. \
Variations
There are about 49 variations of pheasant worldwide while there are actually over 130 species of quail. Pheasants tend to eat seeds, grains and worms. Quail eat fruit, nuts, bugs and mollusks. They’re both omnivores. Lifespan-wise, quail live longer– up to 6 years, while pheasant only last a year or two.
Intelligence
As for temperament, pheasants are intelligent and often view humans as threats, so they can get aggressive. Pheasants don’t migrate very far, as opposed to quails, who do. Pheasants are actually highly endangered in some parts of the world.
Though somewhat similar, pheasants and quails are two different creatures. If you’d like to hunt either, you can come to Meadow Brook Game Farm in rural Tennessee. Call 615-888-2411 for more information and details about hunting at Meadow Brook.
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