Red-backed buttonquail | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Charadriiformes |
Family: | Turnicidae |
Genus: | Turnix |
Species: | T. maculosus |
Binomial name | |
Turnix maculosus (Temminck, 1815) | |
Synonyms | |
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The red-backed buttonquail (Turnix maculosus) is a species of bird in the family Turnicidae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands. Other names by which it is known in different parts of its range include black-backed, black-spotted and orange-breasted buttonquail. There are fourteen recognised subspecies. [2]
The red-backed buttonquail is a small stocky bird with round-tipped wings and a short tail. The length varies between 12 and 16 cm (4.7 and 6.3 in). The female is larger than the male and weighs between 32 and 51 g (1.1 and 1.8 oz) to the male's 23 to 39 g (0.8 to 1.4 oz). The subspecies T. m. melanotus, found in northern Australia, has a pale yellow beak, yellowish irises and yellowish legs and feet. The front and top of the head are blackish scalloped with grey, and the side of the head, the neck and throat are brownish-buff, with a reddish-brown partial collar. The upper parts are slate grey, narrowly barred with reddish-brown and black. The under-wing plumage is pale grey. The lower throat is whitish, darkening to buff on the breast and belly, the sides being boldly marked with spots and scallops. The sexes are similar in appearance, but the female is more vividly coloured with a brighter yellow beak and more distinctive chestnut collar. Juveniles have a much darker colouring. Other subspecies vary slightly from this colouring. [3]
This buttonquail is native to southeastern Asia and Oceania. Its range extends from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and East Timor to Australia. [1] In Australia it ranges in a coastal strip from northeastern Western Australia to Cape York and southward to northeastern New South Wales. It mostly inhabits rough, tussocky grassland, woods and cropped land. It is mostly a lowland bird but the subspecies T. m. giluwensis can be found at up over 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in east-central New Guinea. In Australia it is usually found near water and only occurs in areas with at least 400 mm (16 in) of rain in summer, and is only resident in areas with at least 800 mm (31 in) of precipitation. [3]
The red-backed buttonquail is mostly active at dusk and at night. It is a ground-dwelling species and moves around alone or in pairs, or in small groups of up to five birds. When disturbed it may "freeze" or run, but seldom takes to the wing, and when it does so, it does not usually travel far. Nevertheless, some populations are believed to be partially migrant, probably travelling at night; the birds' movements are poorly documented. It feeds on the seeds of grasses and sedges, other seeds, green plant matter and insects, probably consuming more insect prey than other members of the genus. [3]
Breeding takes place at some time between October and June. The nest is built in the base of a grass tussock, usually among tall grasses in a wet area. It is a scoop lined with grass, leaves and bits of dung, and often roofed with nearby grasses woven together. After the female has laid a clutch of two to four whitish eggs with dark speckles, the male takes over the incubation and is exclusively involved in the care of the young; the female is serially polyandrous, seeking out another male and repeating this breeding process. [3]
T. maculosus has a very wide range and, apart from southeastern Australia where it is said to be uncommon, it is a common species. The total number of birds is thought to be decreasing because suitable habitat for the bird is being degraded, but the population is not declining at a sufficiently fast rate to put the bird at risk, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as "least concern". [1]
Buttonquail or hemipodes are members of a small family of birds, Turnicidae, which resemble, but are not closely related to, the quails of Phasianidae. They inhabit warm grasslands in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia. There are 18 species in two genera, with most species placed in the genus Turnix and a single species in the genus Ortyxelos.
The barred buttonquail or common bustard-quail is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds which resemble, but are not closely related to, the true quails. This species is resident from India across tropical Asia to south China, Indonesia and the Philippines.
The common buttonquail, also called Kurrichane buttonquail, small buttonquail, or Andalusian hemipode is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds which resemble but are not closely related to the true quails.
The pin-tailed sandgrouse is a medium large bird in the sandgrouse family. It has a small, pigeon-like head and neck and a sturdy, compact body. It has long pointed wings, which are white underneath, a long tail and a fast direct flight. Flocks fly to watering holes at dawn. The call is a loud kattar-kattar. This gregarious species breeds on dry open treeless plains and similar habitats. Its nest is a ground scrape into which two or three cream-coloured eggs with cryptic markings are laid. Both sexes incubate the eggs.
The little buttonquail is a species of buttonquail, part of a small family of birds which resemble, but are unrelated to, the true quails. This species is resident in Australia, where it is one of the more common buttonquails.
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The yellow-legged buttonquail is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds which resemble, but are unrelated to, the true quails. This family is peculiar in that the females are larger and more colourful than the males and are polyandrous.
Salvadori's pheasant is a landfowl bird of genus Lophura, native to Indonesia. It is found in the mountain rainforests of Sumatra. Thus it is also known as the Sumatran pheasant. The Hoogerwerf's pheasant is usually thought to be a subspecies. This bird was first described in 1879 by the Italian ornithologist Tommaso Salvadori. The species name inornata means "without ornament".
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The hooded mannikin or hooded munia, also known as the New Britain mannikin or Sclater's mannikin, is a species of estrildid finch found in New Britain and New Guinea.
The black-breasted buttonquail is a rare buttonquail endemic to eastern Australia. As with other buttonquails, it is unrelated to the true quails. The black-breasted buttonquail is a plump quail-shaped bird 17–19 cm (6.7–7.5 in) in length with predominantly marbled black, rufous, and pale brown plumage, marked prominently with white spots and stripes, and white eyes. Like other buttonquails, the female is larger and more boldly coloured than the male, with a distinctive black head and neck sprinkled with fine white markings. The usual sex roles are reversed, as the female mates with multiple male partners and leaves them to incubate the eggs.
The rufous-throated partridge is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in montane forests in India and Southeast Asia. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.
The Tibetan eared pheasant, also called Elwes' eared pheasant, is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae found in southeast Tibet and adjacent northern India, usually between 3,000 and 5,000 m elevation, but has been seen down to 2,280 m (7,500 ft) in winter. The species is named after Henry John Harman.
The Papuan mountain pigeon is a species of bird in the pigeon family, Columbidae. It is found in the Bacan Islands, New Guinea, the D'Entrecasteaux Islands, and the Bismarck Archipelago, where it inhabits primary forest, montane forest, and lowlands. It is a medium-sized species of pigeon, being 33–36 cm (13–14 in) long and weighing 259 g (9.1 oz) on average. Adult males have slate-grey upperparts, chestnut-maroon throats and bellies, whitish breasts, and a pale grey terminal tail band. The lores and orbital region are bright red. Females are similar, but have grayish breasts and grey edges to the throat feathers.
The scaly-breasted kingfisher or regent kingfisher is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae endemic to central and southwestern Sulawesi in Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical, moist, montane forests.
The black-rumped buttonquail is a small species of bird in the buttonquail family.
The Madagascar buttonquail is a species of bird in the buttonquail family, Turnicidae, that is endemic to Madagascar and a few small islands nearby. It is a ground-dwelling species with an unusual breeding biology in which the sexual dimorphism is reversed, with female being more brightly coloured than the male and it is the male that incubates the eggs and mainly cares for the young.
The red-chested buttonquail is a species of bird in the family Turnicidae. It is endemic to Australia. The species is generally regarded as widespread, although uncommon, in New South Wales, Queensland, northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and classified as Vulnerable in Victoria.
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