The Rain Quail is a small quail of grasslands and farmland. Males have black markings on the face and throat, and breeding and movement are linked to rainy seasons.
Males have black streaks and patches on the face and throat. The markings are less prominent in females.
Rain Quail use farmland with concealing vegetation. In northeastern Thailand, they occupied a mosaic of dry rice fields with stubble about 20 centimetres high, scrub and crops. Birds sometimes emerged into dry paddies to feed late in the afternoon.
In February 1987, an observer noticed a repeated two-note call in dry rice fields in Nakhon Ratchasima Province and recorded it the next morning. Returning in April 1989, he heard the call about 1 kilometre from the original site and obtained clear views late in the afternoon.
Males showed black throats and breasts, and one bird was watched calling. Observations included a group of six and two pairs; at least 14 birds were counted within 25 hectares. Recordings, plumage and a calling bird together documented the species in northeastern Thai farmland.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The 2023 Maharashtra assessment assigned Rain Quail Moderate conservation priority. Data were insufficient for the long-term trend, and the current annual trend was inconclusive. Retaining vegetation in grassland and farmland and recording occurrence consistently across places and seasons can help clarify regional changes.