BetterBirding
Bird guidePainted Buttonquail

The painted buttonquail became established on Rottnest Island around 2002.

Spot this speciesRead on Wikipedia
⚠️Not listed
🍃Indigenous: Scrub Quail, Varied Quail, Butterfly Quail, Speckled Quail, New Holland Partridge, Varied Turnix, Painted Quail

At a glance

FamilyButtonquail
SizeSmall
RarityCommon
HabitatIntricately plumaged buttonquail with dark red eye, found in dry woodlands where it feeds by making circular scrapes among deep leaf litter.
Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from September to October.

Sounds

Sound sample
0:000:00
Recorded by Louis Masarei

Range map

Range map

200approx hotspots
17380approx 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

This 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.

Behavior

Intricately plumaged buttonquail with dark red eye, found in dry woodlands where it feeds by making circular scrapes among deep leaf litter. Call is a relentless soft repeated “boom” and also makes a fast sputtering

Gallery

Regional timing

Victoria
Peak: September to December4,197 records
Western Australia
Peak: September to May2,031 records
South Australia
Peak: August to October593 records
New South Wales
Peak: September to October6,499 records
Queensland
Peak: October3,328 records
Tasmania
Peak: October to January309 records
Australian Capital Territory
Peak: September to October398 records

Commonly confused with

Little ButtonquailTurnix veloxIn 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.→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.→
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