8

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Chestnut-backed Button-quails are small ground-dwelling birds. Their plumage is highly cryptic and dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. The head of both sexes heavily mottled dark-grey and white, with a dark longitudinal stripe on either side of the crown. The mantle and back are rufous-brown with white streaking, while the rump and uppertail are rufous-grey. The upperwings are rufous-brown with off-white spots. The flight feathers, which are hidden when the wings are folded, are dark-grey. Belly and undertail are white to off-white. The chest and flanks are olive-grey. Males have white spots on the olive-grey base, while the front of females is more streaked. The irises are pale-yellow. The short, thick bill of both sexes is light-grey, the legs and feet are yellow.

Taxonomy, classification See Chestnut-backed Button-quail at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information Quail vs. Button-quail Although the two genera of the true quails, Coturnix, and the button-quails, Turnix, are outwardly very similar, and therefore often listed together, there are significant differences between them (which is the reason why they are in different family groups here). Genus Coturnix Turnix Common name True quails Button-quails Similar species Chicken-like Wader-like Toes 4 toes, one of which points backward 3 toes, all of which point forward Nesting habits Communal Non-communal Main incubator Female Male Incubation period ca. 21 days ca. 14 days No. of eggs 8-12 ≤ 4

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Chestnut-backed Button-quail is available HERE . Chestnut-backed Button-quails are endemic to Australia. Their range encompasses the Kimberley, WA, and the Top End and the Tiwi Islands of the NT, from Derby, WA, in the West, to Groote Eylandt, NT, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, in the East. Chestnut-backed Button-quails prefer dry savanna, dry scrub and dry grassland.

Sightings Click here for sighting information P. Brown reports spotting a Chestnut-backed Button-quail at Nitmiluk NP (Katherine Gorge), NT, in September 2020. Another was found, and audio recorded, at Nackeroo Lookout, Timber Creek, NT, in March 2021. All sighting and audio information presented on this page has been kindly contributed by P. Brown.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

There are many fundamental differences between true quails (Coturnix) and button-quails (Turnix) (see above in the "Taxonomy, classification" section). One other is that, while in most bird species males "advertise" (i.e. call for a partner) and declare their territory, in the case of button-quails this is done by the females.

More Chestnut-backed Button-quail sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Sun, 19 December 2021, 0:30 +00:00