Red-chested Buttonquail
Turnix pyrrhothorax
Small, dark, secretive buttonquail with pale eye, found in dense grassland habitats, where most commonly observed exploding from cover and flying rapidly away. In flight, note the fairly uniformly dark upperparts, with less contrast between flight feathers and coverts than in most other buttonquail. Adult female has rich rusty-orange chest; male paler, with white chin. Call is a repeated "oom-oom-oom-oom," with end of each note ascending in pitch.
Identification
Adult red-chested buttonquails are 12–16 cm long with males weighing 27-46 g and females 31-83 g. The species is smaller in size than the painted button-quail. Viewed from behind, red-chested buttonquail look uniformly pale grey across the upper-wings and back. Side-on, the rufous wash on the upper-parts of the red-chested buttonquail is obvious. From close range its thick blue-grey beak, pink legs and feet, and pale eyes can be seen.<p>Females are brighter than males, with rufous of underparts brighter and extending over throat to sides of head, and narrower and denser barring on flanks that rarely extend onto breast as scalloping. Juveniles are smaller, darker above with white streaks and dark barring, bold white spots on wing-coverts, underparts white with rufous-brown gorget and upper breast scalloped.<p>The red-chested buttonquail is more commonly sighted in woodland habitats, than grassland habitats. When disturbed it scuttles through the grass or flies low with whirring wings often showing its white flanks before it drops to cover. The species generally prefers to stay close to the ground and avoids flying.<p>The red-chested buttonquail is most easily distinguished by its uniformed grey-brown tone on its upper side and orange chestnut flakes. While the little buttonquail (Turnix velox) can be recognised by its distinctly reddish-brown or pinkish toned under-body and the contrasting tones between parts of its wings. The red-backed buttonquail (Turnix maculosus) has a darker slate-grey or blackish tone on its upper side and has dark underparts except for a contrasting wing panel.
Taxonomy
The red-chested buttonquail was originally described by ornithologist John Gould in 1841, Aberdeen, New South Wales, Australia. It was originally named Hemipodius pyrrhothorax. <p>The red-chested buttonquail belongs to the bird family Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to the Quail or Phasianidae. There are 17 species in the family Turnicidae, with two genera, Turnix and Ortyxelos. The red-chested buttonquail belongs to the genus Turnix. The red-chested buttonquail is usually regarded as monotypic, but recent proposal to treat T. worcesteri and T. everetti as subspecies of present species. Proposed subspecies berneyi (NW Australia) and intermedia (Queensland) are no longer recognized, because they are based on individual rather than geographical variation.
- Scientific name
- Turnix pyrrhothorax
- Authority
- (Gould, 1841)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Turnicidae
- Genus
- Turnix
Range and habitat
Red-chested buttonquails are found along the eastern side of Australia and the top of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. They are not found in Tasmania.<p>The species' preferred habitat is in dense grasslands, and open, grassy, woodland of Acacia (Fabaceae), river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) and Black box (E. largiflorens) or Melaleuca (Myrtaceae), but also in crops and weedy fields with dense ground cover, and from coastal plains. They occur between sea level and 1000m above sea level. They are generally found in moister, denser vegetation cover than the little buttonquail, but also inhabit semi-arid zones. The common factors in their desired habitat seems to be bare ground and abundant leaf litter, little or no understorey, patches of tussock grass or sedges. The birds normally forage in open area of deep leaf litter, and retreat to the undercover of tussocks or woody debris if threatened.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black-winged Lapwing
Vanellus melanopterus
Large, long-legged, upland shorebird with a brown back, a white belly, and a dark gray hood. Found in grassland and cultivation; only at high elevations over much of its range. Social; often found in flocks. Call is a high-pitched “chit-chit-chit” followed by a lower “chrrrey.” Very similar to Senegal Lapwing, but slightly larger and shorter-legged, with more white on the forehead, redder legs, and more black on the breast. Easily separated in flight, when Black-winged shows a white bar across the middle of the wing.
Rufous-winged Tanager
Tangara lavinia
Mostly green tanager, male deeper emerald with yellow back, mostly rufous head, and rufous wings. Female duller yellow-greenish but still with obvious rufous wings. Most similar to Bay-headed Tanager, but that species always has green wings. Usually seen in the canopy of forests and edges, often in pairs accompanying a mixed-species flock.
Budgerigar
Melopsittacus undulatus
Iconic small green and yellow parrot found extensively across inland Australia. Largely nomadic, according to food and water availability. Usually found in small flocks zipping around overhead, but can congregate in staggering numbers under the right conditions. All native birds in Australia are green and yellow with a beautiful scalloped pattern on the upperparts and fine barring on the head. Small introduced populations and escaped birds scattered across the globe can include various other color forms such as blue and white.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.