The king quail (Coturnix chinensis), also known as the button quail, Chinese painted quail, Chung-Chi, Asian blue quail or blue-breasted quail, is in the same family as the pheasants Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. These birds all have a distinctly larger breast-bone than other birds with more muscle surrounding the area. This is why they are hunted for their meat. <br /> <br />This species is the smallest "true quail" and is quite common in aviculture worldwide. In the wild they range from southeastern Asia to Oceania with 10 different subspecies. <br /> <br />A failed attempt was made to introduce this species to New Zealand by the Otago Acclimatisation Society in the late 1890s.
