The chestnut-backed buttonquail is a species of bird in the family Turnicidae. It is endemic to Australia.
Region
Northern Australia
Typical Environment
Found across tropical savanna landscapes of the Northern Territory’s Top End and adjacent parts of northern Australia, with scattered occurrence in similar habitats of far north Queensland. It occupies open eucalypt woodlands with a dense grassy understory, tussock and spinifex grasslands, and the fringes of floodplains. The species avoids dense rainforests, preferring mosaic habitats with patches of cover and bare ground for foraging. It is strictly ground-dwelling, moving quietly through grass tussocks and leaf litter.
Altitude Range
0–500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Buttonquails are not true quails; they belong to the family Turnicidae and have a unique reversed sexual role system where the brighter female courts and the male incubates and raises the young. The chestnut-backed buttonquail is elusive and largely terrestrial, often detected by its soft booming calls and circular ground feeding marks (“platelets”). It is endemic to northern Australia and favors tall grassy savannas. Its cryptic plumage provides excellent camouflage against predators.
Temperament
solitary and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; low, explosive flush
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs and remains mostly on the ground, relying on stealth and cover. The species is polyandrous: females are more brightly colored, court males, and may mate with multiple partners. Males build a grass-lined ground nest, incubate the eggs, and care for the chicks. Nests are concealed in dense grass clumps.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include low, resonant booming notes, often given by the female, which carry through savanna grasslands. Soft clucks and trills are used at close range for contact. Calls are most frequent at dawn and dusk.
Plumage
Compact, round-bodied buttonquail with a rich chestnut to rufous back marked by fine black barring and spotting; underparts buff with dark speckling. Face shows a pale eyebrow and darker eye-line, with mottled grey-brown sides of the neck and mantle. Feathers are dense and cryptically patterned, aiding camouflage among grasses.
Diet
Feeds on a mix of grass and sedge seeds, complemented by small invertebrates such as ants, termites, beetles, and small caterpillars. Forages by probing and pecking at the ground and leaf litter, often creating distinctive circular feeding scrapes known as platelets. Diet composition shifts seasonally with seed availability and invertebrate abundance. Chicks take mostly small invertebrates early on.
Preferred Environment
Forages on the ground within tall grassy savannas, spinifex hummocks, and edges of open woodlands. Frequently uses areas with patchy bare ground for easier access to seeds and insects. Avoids very dense, closed-canopy vegetation.
