Coturnix japonica
1 association assessed — none with dependable human evidence behind them yet. Strongest first.
A very small game bird, farmed intensively for both meat and eggs and also hunted wild. The USDA entry named here is the raw meat with skin; a single bird is roughly a starter portion.
Also known as Japanese quail, Codorniz, Caille
What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.
May support muscle protein synthesis as a complete protein source. Nothing has been published on quail specifically, and a bird this small contributes a modest amount of protein per serving.
Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.
AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.
| Nutrient | Amount | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| Macronutrients | ||
| Calories | 192 kcal | 10% |
| Protein | 19.6 g | 39% |
| Total fat | 12.1 g | 15% |
| Carbohydrate | 0 g | 0% |
| Fibre | 0 g | 0% |
| Water | 69.7 g | — |
| Fats | ||
| Saturated fat | 3.38 g | 17% |
| Monounsaturated fat | 4.18 g | — |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 2.98 g | — |
| Cholesterol | 76 mg | 25% |
| EPA (omega-3) | 0.01 g | — |
| DHA (omega-3) | 0 g | — |
| DPA (omega-3) | 0.03 g | — |
| Linoleic acid (omega-6) | 2.3 g | — |
| Vitamins | ||
| Vitamin A | 73 µg | 8% |
| Vitamin C | 6.1 mg | 7% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.244 mg | 20% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.26 mg | 20% |
| Niacin (B3) | 7.54 mg | 47% |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.772 mg | 15% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.6 mg | 35% |
| Folate | 8 µg | 2% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.43 µg | 18% |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 13 mg | 1% |
| Iron | 3.97 mg | 22% |
| Magnesium | 23 mg | 5% |
| Phosphorus | 275 mg | 22% |
| Potassium | 216 mg | 5% |
| Sodium | 53 mg | 2% |
| Zinc | 2.42 mg | 22% |
| Copper | 0.507 mg | 56% |
| Manganese | 0.019 mg | 1% |
| Selenium | 16.6 µg | 30% |
| Other measured compounds | ||
| Ash | 0.9 g | — |
Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.
Source record: Quail, meat and skin, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 172418).
% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.
Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.
Amino acid derivative
Stored in muscle as phosphocreatine for rapid energy regeneration. Present in meat and fish at roughly 3–5 g per kilogram of raw tissue.
Amino sulfonic acid
Concentrated in shellfish and dark poultry meat; involved in bile salt conjugation and cell volume regulation.
Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.
Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.
Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.
Worth knowing
Eating migratory quail, mainly in the Mediterranean and mainly in spring, has caused outbreaks of coturnism: acute rhabdomyolysis with severe muscle pain, weakness and dark urine appearing within hours, occasionally severe enough to cause kidney failure. The accepted explanation is a toxin the birds acquire from seeds eaten on migration, most often attributed to hemlock. Farmed quail on formulated feed has not been implicated.
Worth knowing
Farmed quail carries the usual Salmonella and Campylobacter risk of raw poultry. Wild-shot birds may also contain lead fragments, which is the basis of advice in several countries that frequent consumers of shot game, particularly children and pregnant women, should limit it.
Allergy
Uncommon. Quail egg allergy is separately documented and does not necessarily imply a reaction to the meat.