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How to Tell Male & Female Button Quails Apart

Button quails are part of a small family of bird species that live in the grasslands of Australia, Europe, Asia and Africa. They are small birds that prefer not to fly, and live an average of three to five years for males, and two to four years for females. You may have difficulty telling the difference between males and females, but you can look out for a few identifying characteristics to help differentiate between the two.

Instructions

- 1
  Look for a white "bib" just under the button quail's neck and reddish breast feathers, which most males have and females do not. Hens are also not as colorful as the males to make them better camouflaged while nesting.
- 2
  Examine the bird's cloaca or "vent." A female's vent is larger if she has lain eggs recently. If you press the area just behind the male's vent, it will secrete a white, foamy substance.
- 3
  Note the size of the bird. Hens are slightly larger and plumper than males at around 5 inches in length, compared to 4 1/2 inches for the male.
- 4
  Listen to the bird's call. A male button quail makes a "pee pee pew" call that the hens do not make.

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