We don't have any species of quail here, but a guy that I hunt with from Missouri said that partridge are similar to quail. You are walking along, there is an explosion of feathers and 10-15 birds blast off in every direction at a high rate of speed.
Sharptails are very different from pheasants. They live in open prairie country. You will find them in stubble, or treerows occasionally, but usually you have to get out and walk miles of prairie. They don't tolerate anything getting too close to them. Once you get about 20 yards away, they flush and fly away (miles away). Later in the season, you walk onto a quarter of land at one side, they are already flying out the other side. Very challenging, and very fun.
J