The barred buttonquail or common bustard-quail is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds which resemble, but are not closely related to, the true quails. This species is resident from India across tropical Asia to south China, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Region
South and Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs widely from the Indian subcontinent through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam to southern China, the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Prefers dry to moist open habitats with ground cover, including scrub, grasslands, fallow fields, and lightly cultivated farmland. Avoids dense forest and very wet marsh but uses edges, hedgerows, and grassy field margins. Often found near human-altered landscapes where scattered cover provides concealment. Typically keeps to the ground and uses its cryptic plumage to remain undetected.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Despite their name, buttonquails are not true quails and belong to their own family, Turnicidae. Females are more brightly marked, larger, and take the lead in courtship, while males incubate the eggs and rear the chicks. When flushed, they burst from cover with a whirring flight but usually prefer to run and remain hidden. Their low booming call, mainly given by females, carries surprisingly far through grasslands.
At Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, India
A female of race taigoor
Dust bathing
ssp. powelli
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with a low, whirring flush; reluctant long-distance flier
Social Behavior
Exhibits reversed sexual roles and often polyandry: females court and defend territories, while males incubate and care for chicks. Nests are shallow ground scrapes hidden under grass tussocks or low shrubs. Usually seen singly or in pairs, sometimes in small family groups. Chicks are precocial and leave the nest shortly after hatching under the male’s care.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Female gives a deep, booming 'oom-oom' call that carries over grassy habitats, especially at dawn and dusk. Other calls include soft clucks and whistles when alarmed or keeping contact in cover.
