Brown Quail

Brown Quail

Synoicus ypsilophorus

Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Great Otway National Park

In 3 days <5%

10 Verified sightings at Great Otway National Park From 2019 to 2026
381 In all 12 parks
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Brown Quail

The brown quail (Synoicus ypsilophorus), also known as the swamp quail, silver quail and Tasmanian quail, is an Australasian true quail of the family Phasianidae. It is a small, ground-dwelling bird and is native to mainland Australia, Tasmania and Papua New Guinea and has been introduced to New Zealand and Fiji. Widespread and common throughout its large range, the brown quail is evaluated as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Although previously classified in the genus Coturnix, phylogenetic analyses have found it to form a monophyletic grouping with several other quail species, all of which have since been grouped in the genus Synoicus. It is thought to be the sister species to the Snow Mountain quail (S. monorthonyx), which was previously classified in the genus Anurophasis. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:59

Australia · 2020

© Marc Anderson · XC1070970 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Uncertain0:28

Australia · 2021

© nick talbot · XC689257 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:30

Indonesia · 2017

© Ross Gallardy · XC409803 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
2 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
3 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
4 Cape Range 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
5 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
6 Nitmiluk National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
7 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
8 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
9 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
10 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
11 Hattah-Kulkyne National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
12 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Brisbane 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
2 Sydney 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
3 Melbourne 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
4 Perth 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
2 Birdworld Kuranda 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
3 Kuranda Koala Gardens 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Brown Quail in Great Otway National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Quail sighting in Great Otway National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 165th most-seen of the 175 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Brown Quail in Great Otway National Park?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Quail in Great Otway National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Brown Quail?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brown Quail sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Great Otway National Park the best place to see a Brown Quail?

12th of 12

Of the 12 parks where we can rate Brown Quail sightings, Great Otway National Park ranks 12th at under 5%. The best odds are in Booderee National Park (Australia, about 10%), Ningaloo Marine Park (Australia, under 5%) and Royal National Park (Australia, under 5%).

Where does the Brown Quail sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Brown Quail is recorded against all the birds logged in Great Otway National Park (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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