Black-breasted ButtonquailTurnix melanogasterDark buttonquail of forested areas with dense layers of leaf litter in southeastern Queensland. Heavily patterned, with pale and dark mark markings below. Female has a mostly black head, heavily marked underparts, and a pale eye (Painted Buttonquail has a red eye); male has paler face, pale eye, and is less richly marked below. When feeding, this species creates deep, circular depressions in the leaf litter; searching for the presence of these depressions is often the best way to locate it. Vocalizations include a repeated clucking call.Turnicidae bird family
Order Charadriiformes · 3 selected species
Browse verified BirdLens profiles selected for complete taxonomy, substantial descriptive coverage, and visual evidence. Open a species to compare its identification notes, distribution, behavior, sounds, and maps.
Black-breasted ButtonquailTurnix melanogasterDark buttonquail of forested areas with dense layers of leaf litter in southeastern Queensland. Heavily patterned, with pale and dark mark markings below. Female has a mostly black head, heavily marked underparts, and a pale eye (Painted Buttonquail has a red eye); male has paler face, pale eye, and is less richly marked below. When feeding, this species creates deep, circular depressions in the leaf litter; searching for the presence of these depressions is often the best way to locate it. Vocalizations include a repeated clucking call.Black-breasted ButtonquailTurnix melanogasterDark buttonquail of forested areas with dense layers of leaf litter in southeastern Queensland. Heavily patterned, with pale and dark mark markings below. Female has a mostly black head, heavily marked underparts, and a pale eye (Painted Buttonquail has a red eye); male has paler face, pale eye, and is less richly marked below. When feeding, this species creates deep, circular depressions in the leaf litter; searching for the presence of these depressions is often the best way to locate it. Vocalizations include a repeated clucking call.
Red-chested ButtonquailTurnix pyrrhothoraxSmall, 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.