Historically quail were thought to be monogamous, pairing and staying with a single mate during the breeding season. Hens were thought to perform the incubation and brood-rearing activities with only slight help from the male. Recent studies conducted by Iowa DNR biologists indicate hens are polyandrous. By following quail carrying miniature radio transmitters during the breeding season, research biologists determined that male and female quail often switch mates. A hen may lay and incubate a clutch of eggs or she may leave the nest to her mate to incubate, and move to another area, select another mate, and lay a second or even third clutch of eggs.
Males can successfully incubate and raise a brood without help from a hen.
Perhaps the most surprising discovery is that some hens care for their brood for just a few weeks after hatching then abandon the brood to care for itself and find another mate and raise another brood the same summer. Broods abandoned at 3 weeks of age have been known to survive to full growth without assistance from adult quail. We now know that quail are much more opportunistic and persistent breeders than once realized. This is one reason quail show an amazing ability to rebound from substantial population losses. Following heavy winter losses, quail populations may recover completely in two to four years, given good weather during nesting and mild winters between successive years.