Small, pale buttonquail with pale eye and thick bill, found in grassland habitats across inland Australia.
Not listed
Endemic to Australia
Indigenous: Dotterel Quail, Button Quail, Swift-Flying Turnix, Butterfly Quail, Swift-Flying Quail, Little Quail
At a glance
FamilyButtonquail
SizeSmall
RarityCommon
HabitatSmall, pale buttonquail with pale eye and thick bill, found in grassland habitats across inland Australia.
Best timeMost reliable in Western Australia from June to August.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Marc Anderson
Range map
Range map
200approx hotspots
13199approx records
6states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
In some years, this species is very common; in others, it can be very scarce. Male has dark speckled markings on chest and flanks; female much more brightly plumaged, usually lacks breast markings.
Behavior
Call is a slow, double-noted
Gallery
Regional timing
Queensland
South Australia
Western Australia
New South Wales
Northern Territory
Victoria
Australian Capital Territory
Commonly confused with
Painted ButtonquailTurnix variusThis species is resident in Australia where numbers are believed to be in decline. A subspecies, the Abrolhos painted buttonquail ( Turnix varius scintillans ), is endemic to the Houtman Abrolhos islands.→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. Adult female has rich rusty-orange chest; male paler, with white chin.→Red-backed ButtonquailTurnix maculosusThis species is very secretive, and most commonly observed exploding from cover and flying rapidly away - look for pale patches on the wings contrasting with a darker back and wing tips. Has a reddish-brown collar, yellow bill and clear black spots extending down from below the eye to the wing.→