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Painted Button-quail (Turnix varius) Alternate name(s): "Painted Quail", "Butterfly Quail*", "Scrub Quail", "Varied Quail" Aboriginal name(s): "nip nip" [tjapwurrung]; "boorolom", "moorolom" (WA) Size: 17-19 cm (male), 18-23 cm Body mass: 53-83 g (male), 72-130 g (female)

Australia: Family Group 8 Family Group 8 Table Red-backed Button-quail Chestnut-backed Button-quail Little Button-quail Red-chested Button-quail Painted Button-quail Black-breasted Button-quail Ruddy Turnstone Latham's Snipe Swinhoe's Snipe Painted Snipe Asian Dowitcher Bar-tailed Godwit Black-tailed Godwit Hudsonian Godwit Whimbrel Little Curlew Eastern Curlew Eurasian Curlew Pectoral Sandpiper Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Curlew Sandpiper Ruff Red Knot Great Knot Wandering Tattler Grey-tailed Tattler Wood Sandpiper Terek Sandpiper Common Sandpiper Green Sandpiper Buff-breasted Sandpiper Common Greenshank Marsh Sandpiper Red-necked Stint Long-toed Stint Temminck's Stint Sanderling Broad-billed Sandpiper Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Painted Button-quails are small ground-dwelling birds, but they among the biggest of all Button-quails. Their plumage is highly cryptic and dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. The upperparts (nape of the neck, wings, rump, tail) of both sexes are mainly dark-grey, with some white stripes and brown patches. The front of both sexes is scalloped cream with grey. Female Painted Button-qauils have chestnut sides and somewhat whiter cheeks than males. The irises of both sexes are red, the bill is grey; legs and feet are yellow-orange. Twitcher's tip Compared to other species of quail and button-quail, Painted Button-quails are the largest that have dark upperparts and a lighter-coloured front.

Taxonomy, classification See Painted 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 Painted Button-quail is available HERE . Painted Button-quails are endemic to Australia. They populate mostly the East and South-East of the Australian continent, plus Tasmania, and the south-western corner of WA. In the East and South-East, nominate race "varius" is found in VIC and NSW (except the north-western part of NSW) and in the eastern half of QLD, up to about Lakefield NP. In the South-West, the range of nominate race "varius" extends along the (near-)coastal fringe, to a line connecting about Geraldton, WA, in the North with Merredin and Cape Arid NP. The coastal fringe northward of Geraldton, WA, to about Carnarvon, WA, is populated by race "scintillans". Painted Button-quails are mostly found in open forest, often with grassy undergrowth.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "varius" We found a Painted Button-quail, race "varius", for the first time in September 2008, at Sawn Rocks, Mt. Kaputar NP, about 40 km North-East of Narrabri, NSW. In November 2008 the species was also found at Upper Bullawa Creek, Mt. Kaputar NP, 40 km East of Narrabri. A single Painted Button-quail, race "varius", was spotted in dense underbrush at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri, NSW, in April 2009. Next, three birds were spotted at Deriah Aboriginal Area in April 2013. Another appeared in our rural garden at Eulah Creek in March 2021. 3 were found there in December 2024. C. Abbott reports finding Painted Button-quails, race "varius", breeding near the Mogo Creek camp ground in Yengo NP, NSW, in December 2016. E. Scott reports finding a Painted Button-quail, race "varius", at Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, NSW, in October 2016 and again in February 2018. J. Greaves reports finding a Painted Button-quail, race "varius", at Dryandra Woodlands, near Narrogin, WA, in May 2018. M. Eaton spotted Painted Button-quails, race "varius", at Cooloola NP, QLD, in January 2019. M. Fleming found a pair of Painted Button-quails, race "varius", at Trinkey SCA, near Tambar Springs, NSW, in November 2020. In 2021, the second year running with above average rainfall in NSW, an irruption of Painted Button-quails, race "varius", was observed around Narrabri, NSW, and also reported to us from other locations in NSW. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours reports spotting a Painted Button-quail, race "varius", at Wondecla State Forest, Tablelands, QLD, in July 2020.

Photos

Race "varius"

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Note the male's, left, single extended rufous shoulder patch vs the female's extensive rufous colouring on its side; note also the extensive white spots on the side of the female's head.

MALE

Lateral view of a male Painted Button-quail - note the rather small rufous shoulder patch (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, NSW, February 2018]

Partly obscured lateral view of a male Painted Button-quail (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, NSW, February 2018]

Lateral view of a male Painted Button-quail (photo courtesy of M. Fleming)
[Trinkey SCA, near Tambar Springs, NSW, November 2020]

Lateral view of a male Painted Button-quail in mellow light (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, NSW, October 2016]

Lateral view of a male Painted Button-quail in shady conditions (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, NSW, October 2016]

Lateral view of a male Painted Button-quail hiding under a dead branch after being disturbed by a group of nature lovers on a spotlighting trip
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2009]

FEMALE

Close-up near-frontal view of a Painted Button-quail looking sideways; the richness of the rufous on its sides and back suggest that this is a female
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2024]

Near-lateral view of a female Painted Button-quail (photo courtesy of M. Fleming)
[Trinkey SCA, near Tambar Springs, NSW, November 2020]

Lateral view of a female Painted Button-quail hiding in undergrowth (photo courtesy of M. Fleming)
[Trinkey SCA, near Tambar Springs, NSW, November 2020]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a female Painted Button-quail
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2024]

Sex unknown

Close-up frontal/near-frontal view of 3 Painted Button-quails
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2024]

Close-up near-frontal/near-lateral view of 3 Painted Button-quails
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2024]

Lateral view of a Painted Button-quail (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Dryandra Woodlands, near Narrogin, WA, May 2018]

Lateral/dorsal view of Painted Button-quails on sandy soil (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cooloola NP, QLD, January 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Painted Button-quail - an example of the excellent camouflage provided by their cryptic plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Dryandra Woodlands, near Narrogin, WA, May 2018]

Dorsal view of a Painted Button-quail hiding in grassy undergrowth (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Wondecla State Forest, Tablelands, QLD, July 2020]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Male Painted Button-quail with two of four chicks (photo courtesy of C. Abbott)
[Yengo NP, NSW, December 2016]

Male Painted Button-quail with three of four chicks (photo courtesy of C. Abbott)
[Yengo NP, NSW, December 2016]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Feb

Eggs: 3 - 4

Incubation period: ca. 14 days

Fledging age: precocial

The period listed in the table above is a core breeding period for Painted Button-quail in the southern parts of their range. In the northern parts they can breed any time of the year.

Painted Button-quail eggs hatch all on the same day. Chicks are fed by the male for about 7-10 days after leaving the nest and can fly only 10 days after leaving the nest.

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

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Male

Dependent care: Male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket

Material: Grass lining

Height above ground: N/A

Painted Button-quail nest hidden in tall grass; who can find the bird sitting on the nest? (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, December 2017]

View from above of a Painted Button-quail nest with 4 eggs in it (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, December 2017]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 27 x 20 mm

Colour: Light-grey, with dark-grey speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Close look at four Painted Button-quail eggs (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, December 2017]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Nomadic/dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Painted Button-quails are very shy birds; often one only gets to see them when crossing an open patch of land, in this case a dirt road
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, near Narrabri, NSW, August 2022]

Like other species of button-quails, Painted Button-quails create "platelets". These are bare patches on the ground that are caused by the birds' scratching in mulch or leaf litter while turning around a point of interest in search of food.

Bare patch where the observer had placed his recorder, that then picked up a pair of Painted Button-quails on 15 August 2021 scratching and calling
[Near Narrabri, NSW, November 2021]

Wide-angle overview of a bare patch where the observer had placed his recorder, that then picked up a pair of Painted Button-quails on 15 August 2021 scratching and calling
[Near Narrabri, NSW, November 2021]

Two Painted Button-quail platelets
[Near Narrabri, NSW, August 2022]

A short video of how such platelets are made by the birds can be found HERE .

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.

pbquail_20211201.m4a	(NW NSW)	Booming calls (female)	© MD
pbquail_20211224.m4a	(NW NSW)	Booming calls (female)	© MD
pbquail_20220827.mp3	(NW NSW)	Booming calls (female) + rapid calls (male)	© MD

Apart from various other callers in the background, the recording below, obtained on 15 August 2021, has a complex sequence of calls made by an interacting pair of Painted Button-quails: 1. Rather high-pitched rapid, almost trilling, calls by the male (4-8 sec), 2. a soft triple "boom" by the female (9-10 sec), 3. more rapid calls by the male (18-31 sec; 55 sec - 1:15 min), 4. first only two, then a long sequence of booming calls by the female (1:16-1:17 min; 1:18-1:53 min), 5. these are in part accompanied by a series of slower-paced and also lower-pitched calls by the male (1:34-2:20 min), with shuffling of feet audible as well.

pbquail_20210815.m4a

(NW NSW)

Various (interacting pair)

© MD

We have also been able to record the wing beat of a Painted Button-quail.

pbquail_20210815_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Alarm/departure	© MD
pbquail_20211201_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Alarm/departure	© MD
pbquail_20220826.mp3	(NW NSW)	Alarm/departure (pair)	© MD

More Painted 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.

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