Synoicus ypsilophorus
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Birdworld Kuranda | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kuranda Koala Gardens | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Quail sighting in Royal National Park on a given day, based on 114 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 94th most-seen of the 178 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Quail in Royal National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–October and December, the lowest months. That is one of Royal National Park's wettest months, with about 150 mm of rain against 50 mm in August.
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.
3rd of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Brown Quail sightings, Royal National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Booderee National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Ningaloo Marine Park (Australia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brown Quail is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal National Park (114 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.
