Common buttonquail

Turnix sylvaticus

Photo by Jugal Tiwari (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
common buttonquail (en); toirão (pt); turnix d'Andalousie (fr); torillo andaluz (es); laufhühnchen (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Turnicidae

Range:
This species is found in several disjunct areas. The subspecies T.s. sylvaticus is found in southern Spain and north-western Morocco, and the subspecies T.s. lepurana is found throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa and also in south-western Yemen and extreme south-western Saudi Arabia. The subspecies T.s. dussumier and T.s. davidi are found from eastern Pakistan, throughout India and into southern China, Taiwan and Indochina. There are also several endemic subspecies in the Philippines and in the Indonesian islands of Java, Bali and smaller nearby islands.

Size:
These birds are 13-17 cm long and weigh 30-70 g.

Habitat:
The common buttonquail is found in dry grasslands and scrublands, particularly in areas with sandy soils, also using arable land and scrubby savannas. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 2.400 m.

Diet:
They feed on small invertebrates and seeds, particularly ant and grass seeds.

Breeding:
Common buttonquails can breed all year round, varying among different parts of their range. They are sequentially polyandrous, meaning that females mate with several males, each taking care of one brood. The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a shallow scrape on the ground, lined with a few pieces of grass and often sheltered by a grass tuft. There, the female lays 4-6 greyish-white or pinkish eggs with purple and brownish spots and speckles, which are incubated for 12-15 days. The female incubates the first few days, after which she leaves, leaving the male responsible of the remaining incubation and chick-rearing duties. The chicks fledge 18-20 days after hatching, but are able to make short flights already at 7-11 days of age. Each male raises a single brood per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and is reported to vary from scarce to locally abundant. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and unsustainable levels of exploitation and the small remaining population in Europe may be very close to extinction.

Painted buttonquail

Turnix varius

Photo by Tom Tarrant (Encyclopedia of Life)

Common name:
painted buttonquail (en); toirão-pintado (pt); turnix bariolé (fr); torillo pintojo (es); buntlaufhühnchen (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Turnicidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Australia, being found in the eastern parts of the country, from northern Queensland to South Australia, in Tasmania, and in south-western Western Australia. There was also a subspecies in New Caledonia, which is extinct since the 1910s.

Size:
These birds are 19-20 cm long and weigh 60-130 g.

Habitat:
The painted buttonquail is found in dry areas, including scrublands, grasslands and savannas with plenty of scrub coverage. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:
They forage on the ground, taking seeds, grains, nuts and insects.

Breeding:
Painted buttonquails breed in September-March. They are polyandrous and the sex roles are reversed, with females displaying to attract males and defending the territory while the male is responsible for incubation and raising the young. They nest in a shallow depression on the ground, which is lined with dry grasses. The nest is usually placed under a grass tuft, scrub or fallen sapling. The female lays 3-5 white or light buff eggs with dark spots, which the male incubates for 13-15 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and follow the male around until fledging which takes place 16 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be generally uncommon to locally common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction, but it is not threatened at present.

Yellow-legged buttonquail

Turnix tanki

Photo by Adesh Shivkar (India Nature Watch)

Common name:

yellow-legged buttonquail (en); toirão-de-patas-amarelas (pt); turnix indien (fr); torillo tanki (es); rotnacken-laufhühnchen (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Gruiformes

Family Turnicidae

Range:

This Asian species is found from India, through Bangladesh and Nepal and into China, Korea and southern Siberia. They are also present in Myanmar, Cambodja, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand and in the Nicobar and Andaman islands.

Size:

These birds are 17 cm long and weigh 60-90 g.

Habitat:

Yellow-legged buttonquails are found in grassland, farmland, secondary growth on abandoned crop-land, grass beneath bamboo thickets, and scrub. They generally prefer open sandy ground with patches of short, rough grass.

Diet:

They feed on grain, grass seeds, green shoots from crops, ants, beetles, grasshoppers, and other insects.

Breeding:

The yellow-legged buttonquail starts nesting in March. They are polyandrous, with each female mating with several males who are then responsible for raising the young. The nest is a domes-structure made of hay or grasses in a shallow hollow in the ground. There the female lays 3-4 eggs which the male incubates alone for 12 days. The chicks leave the nest shortly after hatching, but remain with the male who protects and feeds them. They are able to fly at 10 days of age, but only acquire adult plumage about 7 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

Although the global population size has not been quantified, this species is apparently common in much of its very large breeding range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.