The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word BOBWHITE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
B
O
B
W
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Quail" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case quail = bobwhite.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does BOBWHITE mean?
BOBWHITE noun- Any one of four species of quail in the genus Colinus, of the bird family Odontophoridae, limited to the Americas.