Little Buttonquail
Turnix velox
Small, pale buttonquail with pale eye and thick bill, found in grassland habitats across inland Australia. In some years, this species is very common; in others, it can be very scarce. In flight, note strong contrast between dark flight feathers and and bright yellowish back and wing coverts. Male has dark speckled markings on chest and flanks; female much more brightly plumaged, usually lacks breast markings. Call is a slow, double-noted "hoot-hoot."
Identification
The little buttonquail is a small reddish brown bird with thin white stripes on its upper parts with a blue-grey beak, pink legs and feet, and pale eyes. The female is both larger and more brightly coloured than the male. The little buttonquail is easily distinguishable from other small quail. When flying, by its distinctly reddish or pinkish toned upperbody and the contrasting tones between parts of its wings.<p>While superficially resembling the true quails of the genus Coturnix, the little buttonquail differ by lacking a hind toe and a crop. The females also possess a unique vocal organ created by an enlarged trachea and inflatable bulb in the esophagus. This is used to produce a booming call.<p>The call patterns of the Little Button quail mainly consists of two key sounds, a loud booming “oo-ah” or “coo-oo usually sounded at night. When startled, the little buttonquail has a large squeaking call, composed of a few “chip chip-chip” sounds.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Turnix velox
- Authority
- (Gould, 1841)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Turnicidae
- Genus
- Turnix
Range and habitat
Little buttonquail are found over most of arid and semi arid Australia, excluding Tasmania, Western Australia. (Kinberlys), Northern territory (Arnhem land) and Northern Queensland (Cape York peninsula), due to its preferred habitat of grasslands and woodlands of tropical and temperate regions. The little button quail is found extensively throughout south and western Australia and in abundance in much of the Northern Territory. The little button quail seems to be extremely rare in areas of higher altitude or coastal regions and is mainly found in the inland regions of all states. However, only one specimen has ever been found in Tasmania.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
The conservation status of a species indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Factors are taken into account when assessing conservation status. The number of individuals remaining, the overall increase or decrease in the population over time, breeding success rates, and known threats. Endemic to Australia the little buttonquail has an extremely large range with populations spread widely across mainland Australia. Therefore, this species is not classified as vulnerable under the conservation status: ‘Extent of occurrence criterion’, despite the fact that the little buttonquail population in general appears to be decreasing. Such an enormous species population is unable to attain vulnerability status in regards to the population trend or population size criterion. However, there is evidence that the frequency of human interaction within their environment is causing vulnerability within populations.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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