More than 10,400 different species of live birds make up the Aves class. No other creature on this planet has plumage, which sets them distinct from all other animal classifications.
Any creature having feathers is unquestionably a bird. Birds are warm-blooded animals with four chambers of hearts, just like mammals.
They are thought to have developed from dinosaurs but are more closely linked to reptiles. They hatch hard-shelled eggs, possess extraordinary eyesight, and have evolved their forelimbs into wings over several billions of years.
The majority of birds sleep during the night since they are diurnal. Although most are able to fly, some species are unable.
Here is a collection of birds whose names begin with the letter Q, along with information on each one, including photographs.
Because birds that begin with the letter Q are uncommon, we selected species originating from all over the planet, so you might not be familiar with any of the following bird species.
| Image | Name |
|---|---|
 | Quail |
 | Quebracho Crested Tinamou |
 | Quailfinch Indigobird |
 | Queen Whydah |
 | Queen Victoria’s Riflebird |
 | Quelea Bird |
 | Quetzal |
Types of Birds That Start With Q
1. Quail
The Montezuma Quail, Scaled Quail, Gambel’s Quail, California Quail, and Mountain Quail are among the at least six species of quails that may be observed throughout North America.
The ethereal Montezuma Quail inhabits Mexico’s highlands and oak forests. Its distribution hardly reaches the southwest of the US.
This game bird is quite fat, with a short tail, rounded wings, and no neck. Since of their habit, these North American species are often referred to as “fool quail.”
Habitat
They prefer the wooded, mountainous area where a wide range of plants and grasses are gathered together to provide them with food.
The Montezuma Quail is perhaps the smallest quail in North America. Their territorial or assembly cry is typically composed of six or maybe more falling-pitch notes, but not more than nine.
The sound is described as quavering and whiny and travels impressively far.
2. Quebracho Crested Tinamou
Two whistles, both low in pitch at first and gradually rising in pitch near the finish, make up the Quebracho Crested Tinamou’s characteristic call: “Tooo-weee!” Tooo-wee!’
Only the nations of Argentina and Paraguay may be found throughout South America, where this land nesting bird can be discovered.
Tinamou is capable of flight, but they are not great flyers. Thus they spend the vast majority of their time on land. They are capable of outrunning predators thanks to their quick running speed.
3. Quailfinch Indigobird
The nest parasite known as the quail finch indigobird hatches its eggs within the nests built by African quailfinches.
Habitat
They often inhabit open grasslands and savannas that are near bodies of water. They can eat grains and seeds with their pointed, powerful beaks. These birds reproduce parasitically, like cuckoos.
It follows that they build their nests inside those of other birds. They only use nests built by African Quailfinches throughout their habitat. They just hatch their eggs to the current nest; they don’t really destroy the eggs of their hosts.
4. Queen Whydah
A little Whydah with an orange-reddish head and legs. The male of this species is known as the “Shaft-tailed Whydah” since, during the mating season, it possesses an orange-colored buff throat and underparts, a dark head, and black, Seventeen cm tail plumage.
Males and females who are not reproducing possess pale, buffy underparts and clumpy top parts.
Males establish breeding grounds amid prickly, dry scrub. Once the mating season is through, they join forces with certain other seedeaters to create groups.
With the ability to replicate their songs, the Queen Whydah parasitically deposits its eggs within violet-eared waxbills’ nests.
A periodically sexually dimorphic bird (implies that both sexes show physical variations). The male is identical to the sparrow-like female throughout all times except during the mating season when he develops a long tail and brightly colorful feathers.
5. Queen Victoria’s Riflebird
A huge species of bird of paradise through the use of a strong, downward-curving beak is called Queen Victoria’s Riflebird.
Males are almost all black, having metallic sheens of green and blue on their throats, bellies, and crowns. Females have a buff underside and a brown top.
They get a bright eyebrow and a scaly spot on their breast and tummy. A Queen Victoria Riflebird calls with a powerful explosion of sound that is frequently repeated.
Males perch on an elevated stump and spread their wings over their heads in a show. They hold themselves in this position, flashing bright yellow gapes while swaying, bobbing, and raising every wing one by one.
Queen Victoria’s Riflebird is one of the tiniest riflebirds. The head, underbody, and chest of the males are bronze. A vivid, bright purple hue covers the top portion of their bodies. They do have a blue metal rectangle in the center of a black velvet area on their necks.
Smaller Riflebird and Victoria Riflebird are only two of the many nicknames for these non-migratory species.
6. Quelea Bird
The red-billed quelea is a small passerine known for its brilliant plumage and striking red quelea. The weaver’s bird is another name for it.
Being friendly, it flies in vast flocks of approximately 30 million individuals. The bird species are indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa.
Males often wear black masks; however, some do so in white. The feathers that encircle the mask might be pink, red, yellow, or lavender.
The bird’s flying plumage could be yellow or green, and its upper section is covered with brown and white plumage. In the period leading up to breeding, the male wears vivid colors. It’s possible for the beak to change to pink or orange outside of mating season.
Females do not even carry the face masks that males do, although they do possess red beaks. The males among most bird species are brighter in appearance than the females.
Range
Native to sub-Saharan Africa, this same red-billed quelea does have a widespread distribution over the majority of the region.
Angola, Malawi, Botswana, Tanzania, Cameroon, Kenya, Gabon, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia all have an abundance of it.
Habitat
The dry, grassy habitat is what this bird enjoys. The grassland, savannah, and bush habitats are where you can find them.
Food
The omnivorous red-billed quelea consumes seeds, grass, and cereal grains such as corn, wheat, and rice. The following crops have been discovered to be consumed by them:
- Sorghum
- Barley
- Foxtail
- Rice
- Finger millet
- Buckwheat
- Bulrush (pearl millet)
Insects, which have more calories than grains, are used to supplement their food as they are getting ready to migrate.
They have the fat reserves needed to travel a great distance to hotter areas, thanks to the additional calories. Throughout their yearly migration, they cover distances of 190 to 370 kilometers.
They prefer to search for food mostly in woodland, scrubland, and grassland that make up their natural habitat; however, when those areas run out of food, they will enter fields owned by people.
Because of this, African farmers, particularly small farm owners who cannot afford the expensive techniques of bird management, despise and dread queleas.
The top predators of the quelea are numerous. Owls, lions, squirrels, foxes, leopards, snakes, and monkeys are some of them.
These creatures, along with others, eat the birds. The marabou stork and tawny eagle are two bird species that consume queleas.
7. Quetzal
According to many birdwatchers, one of the planet’s gorgeous birds is the quetzal.
The Quetzal bird species is widespread throughout the Central American highland rainforests, preferring high mountain peaks around 4,000 and 10,000 feet in altitude. The Quetzal lives in humid, tropical woods that are extremely damp, densely vegetated, and chilly.
Habitat
When there is a lot of fog, mostly in woodland because of the high humidity levels, cloud forests constitute one of Quetzal’s more productive habitats.
Quetzals inhabit cavities within trees towards the highest point of the canopy that either they have dug themselves with their strong beaks or that Woodpeckers had left. Because of their eye-catching feathers, quetzals blend in seamlessly with the dense flora that surrounds them.
Due to the nature of their feet, which make them extremely weak for moving on, quetzals are regarded to be somewhat sedentary birds and are only sometimes spotted on the forest floor.
High in the forest canopy, wherein their sounds are almost as unique as their looks, the quetzal nestles. They are well-known for using various calls based on the circumstance and can generate quiet, deep tones that may be extremely loud.
The quetzal is generally ignored during extremely bright or windy days and is particularly loud when there is lots of mist at sunrise and night.
Even though male cries are often noisier than female cries during the breeding season, the sounds are nevertheless referred to be “whining.” They consume lizards, bugs, fruits, and other small animals.
Conclusion
This is all about the birds having names beginning with Q. Their traits and environments are explained in great depth. If you come across any of them, snap a photo and post it in the comment section below.
FAQ
What animal does the letter Q represent?
The quokka is the creature that most people associate with the letter Q. The quoll is the animal that is most unpopular in Q.
Facts regarding animals beginning with the letter Q include: Quetzals are vibrant birds having up to three-foot tails.
Last Updated on March 22, 2023 by Lily Aldrin
