Black-breasted buttonquail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Black-breasted buttonquail |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Turnix
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| Species: |
melanogaster
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| Synonyms | |
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Hemipodius melanogaster Gould |
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The black-breasted buttonquail (Turnix melanogaster) is a special bird found only in eastern Australia. It usually lives in rainforests. Even though it's called a "quail," it's actually not related to true quails. This bird is plump and shaped like a quail. It has a mix of black, reddish-brown, and light brown colors, with cool white spots and stripes. Its eyes are white, which makes it stand out!
Like other buttonquails, the female black-breasted buttonquail is bigger and has brighter colors than the male. Females can grow up to 20 cm (8 in) long and have a black face and chin with tiny white marks. The male is smaller, about 18 cm (7.5 in), and doesn't have the black face markings. This bird is considered "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), meaning its population is decreasing and needs protection.
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What's in a Name? The Black-breasted Buttonquail's History
The black-breasted buttonquail was first described by a bird expert named John Gould in 1837. He called it Hemipodius melanogaster. The name melanogaster comes from ancient Greek words: melas means "black," and gaster means "belly."
Later, in 1840, another expert, George Robert Gray, found that the name Turnix was older and should be used instead of Hemipodius. So, in 1865, John Gould started using the name we know today: Turnix melanogaster.
For a long time, buttonquails were thought to be part of a group called Gruiformes. But new scientific studies show they are actually related to shorebirds. The official name for this bird is "black-breasted buttonquail." Sometimes, people also call it "black-fronted buttonquail."
How to Spot a Black-breasted Buttonquail
The black-breasted buttonquail is a small, round bird that looks a bit like a quail. Its feathers are a mix of black, reddish-brown, and light brown, with clear white spots and stripes. It has striking white eyes.
The female is larger and more colorful than the male. She can be up to 20 cm (8 in) long and has a black face and chin with small white speckles. The male is smaller, around 19 cm (7.5 in), and doesn't have the black face. These differences help tell them apart from other buttonquails, like the painted buttonquail.
What sounds do they make? The female makes a low oom call. The male makes an ak ak sound when he's separated from his group.
You can also tell them apart by their droppings! The black-breasted buttonquail's droppings are round with a hook at one end. The painted buttonquail's droppings are more like a cylinder and gently curved.
Where Do Black-breasted Buttonquails Live?
You can find the black-breasted buttonquail in a specific part of eastern Australia. They live from Hervey Bay in central Queensland down to the northeastern part of New South Wales. They prefer areas that get a good amount of rain each year.
This bird is quite rare, and the places where it lives are spread out and separated. They like dry rainforests and nearby areas. You might also find them in places with bottle trees, lantana bushes, or older hoop pine tree farms that have thick leaves overhead and lots of plants growing underneath.
One important place for these birds is Palmgrove National Park. This park has been named an Important Bird Area because it's so vital for the black-breasted buttonquail.
Years ago, there were many black-breasted buttonquails at Inskip Point near Fraser Island. Birdwatchers would go there just to see them. However, it's thought that dingoes and wild dogs might have caused their numbers to drop. But don't worry, as of early 2014, park staff believe at least two pairs of these special birds are still living at Inskip Point!
Black-breasted Buttonquail Family Life
We don't know a lot about how black-breasted buttonquails raise their families. Their nests are hard to find and watch. What's really interesting about buttonquails is that their usual bird roles are switched! The female is bigger and brighter, and she mates with several male partners. Then, she leaves the males to sit on the eggs and raise the chicks.
For most of the year, a female black-breasted buttonquail lives with one to three males in a small group. When it's time to breed, the female finds her own area and makes drumming calls to attract males. The males often set up smaller areas within the female's territory.
The nest is a shallow dip in the ground, about 10 cm by 6 cm. It's made from leaves, moss, and dried plants. Nests are often built between the roots of a plant, in a crack, or hidden by a tree root. They are usually near thick plants like lantana, bracken, or prickly rasp fern. We don't know if the male or female builds the nest.
Females lay three or four shiny eggs. They are grey-white or light brown with dark brown-black and lavender spots. Each egg is about 28 mm by 23 mm. The eggs hatch after 18 to 21 days.
What Do Black-breasted Buttonquails Eat?
Black-breasted buttonquails look for food on the ground. They love areas in vine forests or thickets of vines and lantana where there are lots of fallen leaves. Leaves drop in these areas all year round, providing a constant food source.
A group of these birds will scratch out many shallow, plate-shaped feeding spots. They do this by scratching the ground with one leg at a time, moving in a circle. This creates a 20 cm wide dip. Then, they peck at the exposed ground to find small creatures to eat.
Scientists have found parts of insects and other small animals in their droppings. These include ants, beetles (like weevils), spiders (such as jumping spiders and brown trapdoor spiders), centipedes, millipedes, and snails.
Protecting the Black-breasted Buttonquail
The black-breasted buttonquail was once considered "vulnerable," but in 2012, its status changed to "near threatened." This means it's still at risk. A big problem is that most of the places where these birds used to live have been cleared away. The groups of birds that are left are separated from each other.
Experts believe there might be as few as 2,500 breeding birds left, and their numbers are still going down. No single group has more than 250 birds. The dry rainforests they live in are often not inside national parks, so they are in danger of being cleared for farms or buildings. Since Europeans arrived in Australia, about 90% of their habitat has been lost. What's left is often broken up into small pieces. Studies have shown that these birds don't look for food in forest patches smaller than 7 hectares (about 17 acres).
The black-breasted buttonquail is listed as vulnerable in Queensland. It's also listed as "near threatened" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's IUCN Red List of endangered species. This shows how important it is to protect their homes and help their population grow.
Images for kids
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Illustrations of male (above) and female (below) by John Gould.
_by_John_Gould.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Torillo pechinegro para niños
