Madagascar buttonquail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Madagascar buttonquail |
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| At Isalo National Park, Madagascar | |
| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Turnix
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| Species: |
nigricollis
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The Madagascar buttonquail (Turnix nigricollis) is a special kind of bird. It belongs to the buttonquail family, called Turnicidae. You can only find this bird in Madagascar and a few small islands nearby. It spends most of its time on the ground. This bird has a very unusual way of raising its family. The female is actually brighter and more colorful than the male. Also, the male bird is the one who sits on the eggs and mostly takes care of the baby birds!
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How it Got its Name
The Madagascar buttonquail was officially described in 1789. A German scientist named Johann Friedrich Gmelin gave it its first scientific name. He put it in a group with birds like grouse. Later, in 1791, a French scientist named Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre placed it in the group Turnix. The name Turnix is a shorter version of another bird group name, Coturnix.
The bird's full scientific name is Turnix nigricollis. The word nigricollis comes from two Latin words. Niger means "black," and collis means "necked." So, its name basically means "black-necked buttonquail." This type of buttonquail is considered "monotypic." This means there are no different types or subspecies of this bird.
What Does it Look Like?
The Madagascar buttonquail is a sturdy bird. It has a small head, short legs, and a short tail. Both male and female birds have colors that help them blend in with their surroundings. This is called being "cryptically colored."
The male bird has a light brown head. It has black and white stripes and spots. Its back and wings are grayish-brown with thin dark lines. The tail is also grayish-brown with fine lines. The male's chin and throat are whitish. Its chest is a cinnamon-buff color with dark lines, and its belly is whitish. The bill is bluish-grey, and its eyes are white or pale grey. Its legs are grey.
The female bird is much more colorful than the male. The top of her head is blackish. Her back is brownish-grey with some dark lines and cinnamon-colored feather edges. This can make her look a bit like a checkerboard. She has a white stripe under her eye. Her chin and upper throat are a black patch, like a bib. Her chest is a pretty cinnamon-pink color, and her belly is grey with faint lines. Young buttonquails look like the male but are a bit darker and have more spots.
Where Does it Live?
This buttonquail lives only on the island of Madagascar. You can find it in most parts of the island where the habitat is right. It likes places with grass, open woodlands, and clearings. You might also see it at the edges of forests, in sandy or bushy areas, and in weedy spots. It especially likes farm areas where cassava plants are grown.
This bird was brought to Mauritius a long time ago, but it's probably not there anymore. It can also be found on Réunion and the Glorioso Islands. However, scientists are not sure if it naturally lives on those islands or if it was brought there by people.
How it Behaves and Reproduces
You often see the Madagascar buttonquail alone or in small groups. These groups usually have up to four birds. If something scares it, the bird might crouch down to hide. It might also run away quickly. It usually only flies for a short distance if danger is very close. When it flies, it flaps its wings very fast.
This bird looks for food by scratching in the plant litter on the ground. It scratches just like a chicken does. It leaves behind special round marks. It mainly eats small creatures without backbones, called invertebrates. It really likes termite larvae. One bird was found to have eaten snails, cockroaches, beetles, flies, bugs, and caterpillars. It might also eat seeds.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Like other birds in its family, the female Madagascar buttonquail is more active during the breeding season. She defends her territory and makes calls to attract a male. The nest is built in a small dip on the ground. It's often hidden in a clump of grass or thick plants. Both the male and female build the nest using dried grasses, stems, dead leaves, and sometimes feathers. The nest might have a partial roof made of dead leaves. Sometimes, there's even a covered path leading to the nest.
The female lays about four eggs. These eggs have many blotches or spots on them. The male bird sits on the eggs to keep them warm for about two weeks. The female might help him sometimes. The male is also in charge of taking care of the young chicks. He feeds them from his bill for the first week. After that, the chicks start to pick up food from the ground themselves. At first, the female can be a bit aggressive towards the chicks, and the male protects them. But later, the female helps more with caring for the young. The chicks can take care of themselves by the fifth week. After that, their parents might make them leave the nest.
Is it Endangered?
The Madagascar buttonquail is a common bird in the north, west, and south parts of Madagascar. However, it is less common in the central and eastern areas. The total area where this bird lives is about 590,000 square kilometers (227,800 square miles). Even though people in many communities hunt this bird for food, its population seems to be stable. This means the number of these birds is not going down. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature says its conservation status is "least concern." This means it is not considered endangered or threatened.
Gallery
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Isalo National Park, Madagascar
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Ambola, Madagascar
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San Diego Zoo
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Turnix nigricollis - MHNT
