Quail-plover
Ortyxelos meiffrenii
A strange long-legged buttonquail that resembles a hybrid between gamebird and shorebird – hence its name. If seen well, the brown-and-cream-scalloped upperparts, the pale-yellow bill and legs, and the off-white eyebrow, belly, and wing edge are distinctive. Most typically seen when disturbed, either running at high speed when it could be mistaken for a lark, or in flight when the bold black-and-white wing pattern and fluttering zig-zag flight render it unmistakable. Scarce and local, with movements poorly understood; found in open grassland and grassy shrubland. Mostly silent, but a low whistle has been described.
Identification
The quail-plover is a small, short-tailed cursorial bird which looks a little like a miniature courser when on the ground. The upperparts are a sandy-rufous colour and the underparts mainly whitish. They show a distinctive wing pattern in flight when the contrast between the white primary coverts and the black with white-tipped remiges to form a distinct diagonal band on the upperwing. Its fluttering flight style is rather lark-like. The females are slightly darker than the males while the juveniles are paler.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ortyxelos meiffrenii
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1819)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Turnicidae
- Genus
- Ortyxelos
Range and habitat
The quail-plover occurs in Sahel from southern Mauritania and northern Senegal eastwards to northern Cameroon and southern Chad into South Sudan and southern Sudan with separate populations in northern Benin and coastal Ghana, with another in Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
The quail-plover is usually found singly or in pairs in dry grassland and thorn scrub. It is rather skulking preferring to move stealthily through grass but also running around like a courser in the open. Tends to crouch down and hide when approached and flushes only when the observer is almost on top of it and then flies off with a jerky undulating flight. It breeds during the dry season and moves north ahead of the rains It tends to be more active at night and to call with a soft low whistle like the wind going through a pipe during moonlit nights.
Conservation
The quail-plover has an extremely large range, its population trend is not known, the population is not understood to be undergoing a sufficiently rapid decline to approach the thresholds under the population trend criterion while the population size has not been quantified so the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
White-chinned Thrush
Turdus aurantius
A dark plumaged ground feeder that prefers wooded areas but also occurs in gardens and plantations. Its most distinctive features are its bright orange bill and legs. The namesake white chin is inconspicuous. Also note the white slash, which is usually visible, on the upper wing. Superficially similar to the shier White-eyed Thrush, which has a white eye plus a dark bill and legs. Most common call is a slightly shrill, up-slurred “p’weet,” sometimes given as a longer “p’ooo-weeet.” Song is a series of varied sweet notes given singly or as couplets.
Northern Masked-Weaver
Ploceus taeniopterus
A fairly small, slim weaver with a chunky bill. Always shows a dark bill and eye. Breeding male is distinctive, with bright yellow overall plumage and a black mask that grades into chestnut at its edges. Females, non-breeding males, and juveniles are much duller, but show streaking on the back and pale underparts. Found mainly in wetlands, though the species will range into surrounding dry savanna. Almost always found in flocks. Plumages other than the breeding male’s can be hard to separate from other weavers, but can be cautiously identified by the dark bill and eye, fairly pale overall coloration, and size and shape. Vocalizations are typical of weavers: “chek” notes and a sizzling “radio static” song.
Short-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus griseus
Plump, medium-sized shorebird with very long bill. Extremely similar to Long-billed Dowitcher, and often flocks with it. Best distinguished by voice: a rapid series of notes, “tu-tu-tu”, lower-pitched and almost always in a series, unlike single piercing “keek!” of Long-billed. At all ages, look for subtle structural differences: Short-billed averages flatter-backed, slightly shorter-billed, and slightly shorter, especially noticeable when in a mixed flock. Breeding birds are intricately patterned with a variable amount of orange on the underparts. Short-billed usually has some white on the belly, and paler upperparts with bolder golden and white markings. Also look for messy and extensive spotting on sides, not sparsely barred like Long-billed Dowitcher. Nonbreeding plumage is brownish-gray overall with a paler belly; extremely similar to Long-billed but averaging slightly paler and more patterned, especially on the breast and sides. Juveniles are easiest to identify: look for bright golden markings on the tertials and scapulars. Short-billed breeds in grassy wetlands and tundra, and can be found in a variety of wetland habitats in migration and winter. A very early fall migrant, with southbound birds appearing in the U.S. by late June. Usually in flocks, feeding actively like a sewing machine. Tends to favor saltwater marshes, beaches, and mudflats. Somewhat less likely in freshwater habitats than Long-billed, but much overlap, especially the hendersoni subspecies that migrates primarily through the center of the continent.
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