Buff-breasted buttonquail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Buff-breasted buttonquail |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Turnix
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| Species: |
olivii
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The buff-breasted buttonquail (Turnix olivii) is a special bird. It's the biggest and possibly the rarest of all the buttonquail birds. This amazing bird lives only in Cape York Peninsula, which is in Queensland, Australia.
Contents
What Does the Buff-Breasted Buttonquail Look Like?
The buff-breasted buttonquail is about 18–23 cm (7.1–9.1 in) long. It usually weighs over 110 g (3.9 oz). This bird has short wings and a short tail. Its back is a rich chestnut color. The sides of its head are also chestnut, but the rest of its head is plain gray. Its chest is a warm, buff color.
Two other birds, the painted buttonquail and the brown quail, live in the same areas. However, the buff-breasted buttonquail is larger and has longer legs than both. It looks very different from the all-dark brown quail. The painted buttonquail has many spots and no warm buff color on its chest. The chestnut-backed buttonquail looks similar, but it lives in a different place.
What Sounds Do They Make?
The female buff-breasted buttonquail makes a special "booming" call. It sounds like ooom-oom-oom. She can repeat this sound up to 20 times! At first, the notes are very quiet. Then, they get louder, higher-pitched, and shorter. They can be heard from far away.
Male birds respond with a deep, fast whistle that sounds like chu-chu-chu. Other sounds they make might be for danger. These include gug-gug-gug, a soft chirp-chirp-chirp, and a loud kwaare-kwaare.
Where Do Buff-Breasted Buttonquails Live?
These birds like to live in low-lying grasslands or woodlands near the coast. They can be found up to 400 m (1,300 ft) high. They seem to prefer grassy woods with trees like Melaleuca, Acacia, Alphitonia, and Tristania.
You might see them in areas with thick ground cover, sometimes up to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall. But they can also live in rocky places where there isn't much plant cover.
Why Are They Endangered?
The buff-breasted buttonquail is an endangered species. This means there are very few of them left. Experts believe there are only about 500 of these birds in the wild. Their original home range was about 2,070 km2 (800 sq mi).
They have disappeared from many parts of their old home. This is likely because of several reasons:
- Cattle overgrazing: Too many cattle eating the grass.
- Fires: Fires that change their habitat.
- Habitat loss: Areas being cleared for people to live.
Important Places for Buff-Breasted Buttonquails
BirdLife International has found special places that are very important for protecting the buff-breasted buttonquail. These are called Important Bird Areas. They include the Iron and McIlwraith Ranges, and the Morehead River area in Far North Queensland.
How Do Buff-Breasted Buttonquails Behave?
Not many people get to see the buff-breasted buttonquail. This is partly because they live in a small area. Also, they are very shy and hard to spot. They usually walk or run on the ground, where their colors help them blend in. They almost never fly unless they absolutely have to.
These birds usually stay in the same areas. However, they might move short distances. This probably happens when their habitat changes with the seasons.
What Do They Eat?
We don't know a lot about what they eat. But like most buttonquails, they probably eat insects and seeds. They also swallow sand to help them digest their food.
How Do They Have Babies?
Buff-breasted buttonquails are known to breed alone. Their breeding season is from January to March. The nest is a shallow dip in the ground. It has a dome made of grasses and an entrance on the side. The inside of the nest is lined with grasses and leaves. The nest is usually hidden well behind tall grasses, small bushes, or clumps of grass.
The female usually lays three round eggs, but sometimes two or four. The eggs are whitish and have speckles of chestnut, bluish-gray, or black. We don't know how long the eggs take to hatch. However, it's thought that the male bird does all the egg sitting and takes care of the baby chicks. The young birds are born ready to move around and leave the nest soon after hatching.
See also
In Spanish: Torillo de Robinson para niños
