The painted buttonquail (''Turnix varius'') is a species of buttonquail, the family Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of

Phasianidae The Phasianidae are a family (biology), family of heavy, ground-living birds, which includes pheasants, partridges, junglefowl, chickens, Turkey bird, turkeys, Old World quail, and peafowl. The family includes many of the most popular Game (hunti ...

. This species is resident in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

where numbers are believed to be in decline. A subspecies, the

Abrolhos painted buttonquail The Abrolhos painted buttonquail (''Turnix varius scintillans'') is a subspecies of the painted buttonquail endemic to the Houtman Abrolhos. It is common on North Island, and also occurs on other islands of the Wallabi Group, namely East W ...

(''Turnix varius scintillans''), is endemic to the Houtman Abrolhos islands.

Taxonomy

The painted buttonquail was first described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''Perdix varia''. "Painted buttonquail" has been designated the official name by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC). Two subspecies are recognised. The possibly-

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

New Caledonian buttonquail The New Caledonia buttonquail (''Turnix novaecaledoniae'') is a species of bird in the family Turnicidae. It is endemic to New Caledonia. It previously was considered a subspecies of the painted buttonquail. Its natural habitats are dry savanna ...

(''Turnix novaecaledoniae'') of

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

was formerly considered conspecific, but was split as a distinct species by the

IOC The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

in 2021.

Description

The painted buttonquail is about long. It is a ground-dwelling bird and is found in grassy forests and woodlands. It feeds on insects and seeds, and the males incubate the eggs for a fortnight and then care for the young. The female is the more brightly coloured of the sexes. Her eyes are red, and her crown, face and breast are flecked with white. Her shoulders are chestnut with thin white streaking above them. The male is slightly smaller and duller in colour.

Distribution and habitat

The painted buttonquail is native to Australia. Its range extends from Queensland southwards to New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. A separate population is present in the southwestern part of Western Australia. The subspecies ''Turnix varius scintillans'' is endemic to the Houtman Abrolhos islands off the west coast of Australia. The painted buttonquail became established on Rottnest Island around 2002.

Status

The painted buttonquail has a wide range. An estimate of the population size has not been made but numbers are suspected to be in decline. It is said to be common in suitable habitat in some areas and uncommon in others. The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has listed it as being of " Least Concern".

References

External links

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Painted buttonquail (''Turnix varius'') (Latham, 1801)
Avibase 2009 {{Taxonbar, from=Q663363

painted buttonquail The painted buttonquail (''Turnix varius'') is a species of buttonquail, the family Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae. This species is resident in Australia where numbers are believed to be in decline. ...

Endemic birds of Australia

Taxa named by John Latham (ornithologist)