BirdUp · Species
Black-breasted Buttonquail
Turnix melanogaster(Gould, 1837)
Updated
- Order
- CHARADRIIFORMES
- Family
- Turnicidae
- Genus
- Turnix
At a glance
The Black-breasted Buttonquail is a small bird, about 18 cm long, listed as Vulnerable and endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.
- Size
- 18 cm
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable
- Origin
- Endemic
- Best seen
- Year-round
- Commonness
- Rare
01 · Identification
How to tell it apart
What does a Black-breasted Buttonquail look like?
The Black-breasted Buttonquail is a small bird, about 18 cm long and weighing 50–119 g.
The black-breasted buttonquail is a rare buttonquail endemic to eastern Australia. As with other buttonquails, it is unrelated to the true quails. The black-breasted buttonquail is a plump quail-shaped bird 17–19 cm (6.7–7.5 in) in length with predominantly marbled black, rufous, and pale brown plumage, marked prominently with white spots and stripes, and white eyes. Like other buttonquails, the female is larger and more boldly coloured than the male, with a distinctive black head and neck sprinkled with fine white markings. The usual sex roles are reversed, as the female mates with multiple male partners and leaves them to incubate the eggs.
Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
03 · When
When to look
When can you see a Black-breasted Buttonquail?
The Black-breasted Buttonquail is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
05 · Behaviour
Habits and haunts
What does a Black-breasted Buttonquail eat?
The Black-breasted Buttonquail feeds on seeds and terrestrial invertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or flocks or alone.
06 · Gallery
Plumage up close
6 photos
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