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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Turnicidae
  4. ›
  5. Turnix
  6. ›
  7. Red-backed Buttonquail
Red-backed Buttonquail
Photo · Joseph Smit

BirdUp · Species

Red-backed Buttonquail

Turnix maculosus(Temminck, 1815)

Updated 21 March 2026

Origin: Native
Order
CHARADRIIFORMES
Family
Turnicidae
Genus
Turnix

At a glance

The Red-backed Buttonquail, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

The red-backed buttonquail is a species of bird in the family Turnicidae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands. Other names by which it is known in different parts of its range include black-backed, black-spotted and orange-breasted buttonquail. There are fourteen recognised subspecies.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Red-backed Buttonquail?

The Red-backed Buttonquail is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

2 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Red-backed Buttonquail live in Australia?

The Red-backed Buttonquail is native to Australia, recorded across 33 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingSulawesi and Lesser Sundas to south-central, north-east and south-east New Guinea, north and east Australia and east Bismarck Arch.

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Vagrant

7 regions recorded