Subspecies in India
This is also known as the Mountain Quail.
This species is listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (https://www.iucnredlist.org/).Photo Gallery and Species Biology
This endemic species is extremely rare. It inhabits remote shrublands and grasslands of Uttarakhand in the western Himalaya, from 1,650-2,400m (BirdLife International 2018).
Conservation Status:
This species is listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (https://www.iucnredlist.org/).According to the IUCN Red List assessment, the population of this species has declined since the early 20th century. Current population size is unknown, and some believe it to be extinct. Threats to its persistence come from habitat disturbance due to energy production and mining, hunting and trapping, and also severe climatic conditions causing habitat shifting (BirdLife International 2018).
| State | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | No date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | |||||||||||||
| Andhra Pradesh | |||||||||||||
| Arunachal Pradesh | |||||||||||||
| Assam | |||||||||||||
| Bihar | |||||||||||||
| Chandigarh | |||||||||||||
| Chhattisgarh | |||||||||||||
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli | |||||||||||||
| Daman & Diu | |||||||||||||
| Delhi | |||||||||||||
| Goa | |||||||||||||
| Gujarat | |||||||||||||
| Haryana | |||||||||||||
| Himachal Pradesh | |||||||||||||
| Jammu and Kashmir UT | |||||||||||||
| Jharkhand | |||||||||||||
| Karnataka | |||||||||||||
| Kerala | |||||||||||||
| Ladakh UT | |||||||||||||
| Lakshadweep | |||||||||||||
| Madhya Pradesh | |||||||||||||
| Maharashtra | |||||||||||||
| Manipur | |||||||||||||
| Meghalaya | |||||||||||||
| Mizoram | |||||||||||||
| Nagaland | |||||||||||||
| Odisha | |||||||||||||
| Paschimbanga | |||||||||||||
| Pondicherry | |||||||||||||
| Punjab | |||||||||||||
| Rajasthan | |||||||||||||
| Sikkim | |||||||||||||
| Tamil Nadu | |||||||||||||
| Tripura | |||||||||||||
| Uttar Pradesh | |||||||||||||
| Uttarakhand | |||||||||||||
| West Bengal | |||||||||||||
| Total |
BirdLife International 2018. Ophrysia superciliosa. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22679141A132051220. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22679141A132051220.en. Accessed on 30 January 2020.
Page citation
Anonymous 2025. Ophrysia superciliosa (J.E. Gray, 1846) – Himalayan Quail. In Satose, V., A. Bayani, V. Ramachandran, P. Roy, and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 2.17. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.birdsofindia.org/ophrysia-superciliosa, accessed 2025/05/01.