Black-breasted buttonquail
| Black-breasted buttonquail | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Turnicidae |
| Genus: | Turnix |
| Species: | T. melanogaster |
| Binomial name | |
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Turnix melanogaster (Gould, 1837) |
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The black-breasted buttonquail (Turnix melanogaster) is a rare buttonquail endemic to eastern Australia, where it is usually found in rainforest. Like other buttonquails, it is unrelated to the true quails. The black-breasted buttonquail is a plump quail-shaped bird of predominantly marbled black, rufous and pale brown, marked prominently with white spots and stripes, and white eyes. Like other buttonquails, the female is larger and more distinctively coloured than the male. Measuring up to 20 cm (8 in), it has a black face and chin, sprinkled with fine white markings. The smaller male measures up to 18 cm (7.5 in) and lacks the black markings.
The black-breasted buttonquail was originally described by ornithologist John Gould in 1837 as Hemipodius melanogaster. Its specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek terms melano- "black", and gaster "belly". Along with other buttonquails, the black-breasted buttonquail was traditionally placed in the order Gruiformes, but more recent molecular analysis shows it belongs to an ancient lineage of shorebirds (Charadriiformes).
Black-fronted buttonquail is an alternate name.
The black-breasted buttonquail is a plump quail-shaped bird of predominantly marbled black, rufous and pale brown, marked prominently with white spots and stripes, and white eyes. Like other buttonquails, the female is larger and more distinctively coloured than the male. Measuring up to 20 cm (8 in), it has a black face and chin, sprinkled with fine white markings. The smaller male measures up to 19 cm (7.5 in) and lacks the black markings. The black markings and large size of the female and the dark markings and whitish face of the male distinguish the species from the painted buttonquail.
The female makes a low-pitched oom call.
The black-breasted buttonquail is found from Hervey Bay in central Queensland south to the northeastern corner of New South Wales, generally in areas receiving 770–1200 mm (30–48 in) rainfall annually. It is rare and its habitat fragmented. It is found in rainforest and nearby areas, as well as bottle tree (Brachychiton rupestris) scrub, hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) plantations, and lantana thickets. It is found in Palmgrove National Park, which has consequently been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area for the species.
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Wikipedia