Little Button-quail

Images ©:
©Brendan Casey

Turnix velox

Small bird, up to 16 cm. Reddish-brown plumage. Narrow white streaks on upper parts. Blue-grey beak. Pink legs and feet. Pale eyes. The female is larger and more brightly coloured than the male. When disturbed it scuttles through the grass or flies low with whirring wings often showing its white flanks before it drops to cover.

Details
Type
Bird
Group
Animals
Button-quail
Biology

Breeding season: usually September to March (any time of year, after rains provide good conditions). Clutch size is three or four. Builds a nest where suitable cover can be found, such as under overhanging grasses, small shrubs or fallen branches. The nest itself is a scrape in the ground lined with grass or fine sticks. It sometimes has a hood and has a tunnel-like track leading to the entrance. The male incubates the eggs, broods and feeds the young.

Distinctive Markings

In flight, white flanks are visible.

Taxonomy
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Turniciformes
Family
Turnicidae
Genus
Turnix
Species
varius

Source: Atlas of Living Australia

In captivity if the enclosure is too small the Little Button-quail can become agressive. Males may fight each others offspring. The female may kill the offsping so that males will remate, and the female may also kill the male.

Interesting Facts
Diet

Omnivore. Feeds on eeds, especially grass seeds, young plants and insects.

Habitat

Found in grasslands and woodlands, particularly in the arid and semi-arid regions.

Native Status
Native to Australia
Audio
Sounds
Loud booming call, "oo-ah" or 'coo-oo", usually uttered at night. This can go on for several minutes at a time. It also utters a squeaking call, consisting of two or three "chip-chip-chip" notes when flushed.