Editing Common quail (section)

===Breeding===
[[File:Coturnix coturnix MWNH 2037.JPG|thumb|200px|upright=0.5|Eggs]]
Males generally arrive in the breeding area before the females. In northern Europe laying begins from the middle of May, and with repeat laying can continue to the end of August. The female forms a shallow [[Bird nest#Scrape|scrape]] in the ground {{cvt|7|-|13.5|cm|in|frac=4}} in diameter which is sparsely lined with vegetation. The eggs are laid at 24-hour intervals to form a clutch of between 8 and 13 eggs. These have an off-white to creamy yellow background with dark brown spots or blotches. Their average dimensions are {{cvt|30|x|23|mm|in|frac=8}} with a weight of {{cvt|8|g|oz|frac=8}}. The eggs are incubated by the female alone beginning after all the eggs are laid. The eggs hatch synchronously after 17–20 days. The young are [[precocial]] and shortly after hatching leave the nest and can feed themselves. They are cared for by the female who broods them while they are small. The young fledge when around 19 days of age but stay in the family group for 30–50 days. They generally first breed when one year old and only have a single brood.{{sfn|Cramp|1980|pp=501-502}}