Painted Buttonquail

Overview

The painted buttonquail, Turnix varius, is a ground-dwelling bird that resembles but is unrelated to true quails. It is a resident species in Australia, where numbers are believed to be in decline.

Identification

• Approximately 19 to 20 cm long.
• The female is more brightly coloured than the male, featuring red eyes and a crown, face, and breast flecked with white.
• Females have chestnut shoulders with thin white streaking above them.
• Males are slightly smaller and duller in colour.

Habitat

Native to Australia, the species ranges from Queensland southwards to New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania, with a separate population in southwestern Western Australia. It inhabits grassy forests and woodlands, and the subspecies Turnix varius scintillans is endemic to the Houtman Abrolhos islands.

Diet

The bird feeds on insects and seeds.

Did you know?

Males incubate the eggs for a fortnight and subsequently care for the young.