These birds are in the class of aves and in the galliforme order. This family is divided into 9 genera and 32 species. They have several physical attributes that include strong wings, short powerful legs that they use for running and scratching. They are not too large in size but rather, they are of an average size body. They do not have spurs and have a toothed bill.

Their length ranges from 17 cm to 37 cm while their weight is quite low. It is between 125 g to 465 g. They can mainly be found in forests, savanna and grasslands where they live. 1 of their species is extinct while 7 are at a risk of being threatened. They are sturdy just like the other members of the galliforme family.

They are distributed evenly across the world in almost all continents. Some of these places are in Southern Canada, West coast, Southwestern United States and Eastern United States. They have been introduced in a few other places including New Zealand and some regions in Europe.

Fossils of the New World quails that can be traced back to 37 million years ago were found in Canada.

There are certain differences between the male and female but they are not as distinct. The main ones are size and plumage which varies between the two. For other species, they have red rings around the eyes that make them unique in their own way. They have a ragged beak and strong thick legs that they use for digging, while others use them for running.

They mainly inhabit the tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions. Some of them can be found in the grassland, savannas regions. The odontophoridae unlike other members of the family have rather low vocal strengths. Although they are not loud, they have a large variety of sounds that can go up to 19. A large number of the bids are diurnal ad they spend most of their day living on land. These birds are not known to be migrating birds but rather, they spend their time in one area for a long period of time.

Their diet includes seeds which they scratch from the earth and other surfaces. They can be from grass, trees and some shrubs that have seeds. Sometimes, they move into domestic homes and feed on their grain. They may eat wheat, corn, peanuts and sorghum. A few others dig for roots with their strong thick feet.

They are polygamous birds but were originally thought to be monogamous. In their case, the odontophoridae male and female both take care of their young just like a couple would.

They take care of their young ones for a while until they are able to take care of themselves. There are common cases if nest failures but they do not give up. On the contrary, they keep persisting until they are successful. They are at some point harmful to man because they destroy their crop seeds. They are also hunted.