The Town of North Hempstead on Wednesday unleashed its new weapons aimed at fighting ticks: an army of quail.

As News 12 has reported, the town bought quail eggs and incubators in May to cut down on the tick population.

Town officials and local residents came to the Hempstead Harbor Trail in Port Washington to watch the birds be set loose. As music played from the "Lion King," the quail weren't so sure where they wanted to go, but they eventually started to explore and flew off.

One quail wasn't quite ready to leave yet, but when she does, she'll be eating ticks with the rest of them, cutting down on the need for pesticides.

The town released another dozen quail at a spot nearby the trail.

Officials say house cats are one of the biggest threats to quail in the wild, so they are urging people to keep their cats indoors.