Button quail
Button quails are small, ground-dwelling birds that thrive in warm, semi-arid grasslands, scrub areas, and agricultural fields across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia. Uniquely, female button quails are larger and more vibrantly colored than their male counterparts, which is atypical among bird species. During the breeding season, females exhibit territorial behavior, courting multiple males before laying eggs, which they leave for the males to incubate and raise. Their nests are shallow hollows lined with grass, where they lay three to seven glossy, pale-colored eggs. Button quails primarily feed on small seeds and insects, using their short, thin bills to forage on the ground. With a compact body structure and camouflaging plumage of brown, gray, and cream markings, they are well-adapted to evade predators by quickly hiding when startled. The average lifespan of a button quail is around four years, and they reach maturity and the ability to mate at about three months of age. Button quails belong to two genera: Ortyxelos and Turnix, the latter of which includes 15 species, such as the common button quail and the little button quail.
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Button quail
Button quails are ground-dwelling birds that inhabit warm, semi-arid grasslands, scrub regions, and farmed fields. Unlike almost all other species of birds, female button quails are more brightly colored and often larger than the males. The females also are territorial, court many males during the mating season, and leave the job of incubating and raising the young to the males.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Turnicidae
Genus: Various (see below)
Species: Various (see below)
Button quails walk and run across the open grasslands, thin scrub regions, and farmers' fields of Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia. They are ground-dwellers that scrape out shallow hollows and line them with grass. All button quails, except for one species, fly only short distances.
Button quails have brown, gray, and cream markings, adding camouflage to their tan and brown plumage (feathering). They have rounded bodies with hunched shoulders, short tails, and rounded wings. They are 4 1/2 to 8 inches long (11 to 20 centimeters).
Whether alone or in small flocks, button quails run across the ground and snap up small seeds and insects in their short, thin bills. It is unknown what animals are the natural predators of these birds or if they face danger from humans. When frightened or startled, they quickly hide in surroundings where their plumage camouflages them.
Female button quails behave differently than females of most bird species. Usually, males are larger and have brighter-colored plumage than females, but female button quails are the larger sex and more colorful than males. Like male birds of other species, the female button quails defend their territory and drive away other females. When they are ready to mate, the females court or attract males. After mating, a female button quail lays three to seven oval, glossy, pale-colored, and marked eggs in the shallow, grass-lined nest on the ground. She then leaves the male so she may court and mate with other males during that breeding season. The male must incubate the eggs and raise the young once they hatch. Incubation is the period from when the eggs are laid until they hatch. Male button quails incubate the eggs for an average of 12 to 14 days. At two weeks, the young become independent and reach adult size in six to seven weeks. In captivity, they are mature and able to mate when they are three months old. Some species breed year-round, and their young are mature when they are four to six months old.
The average life span of button quails is around four years.
Button quail species comprise two genera, Ortyxelos and Turnix. The only button quail member of the Ortyxelos genera is the lark quail, or quail plover (Ortyxelos meiffrenii). There are 15 species of the Turnix genera, including:
Barred or common button quail Turnix suscitator
Little button quail Turnix sylvatica
Red-backed button quail Turnix maculosa
Yellow-legged button quail Turnix tanki
Bibliography
"Buttonquails." Carolina Birds, Birds of the World, carolinabirds.org/HTML/Charadriiformes‗ButtonQuail.htm. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.
Winkler, D. W., S. M. Billerman, and I. J. Lovette. "Buttonquail (Turnicidae)." Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2020, doi.org/10.2173/bow.turnic1.01. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.