The Madagascar buttonquail or Madagascan buttonquail is a species of bird in the buttonquail family, Turnicidae, that is endemic to Madagascar and a few small islands nearby. It is a ground-dwelling species with an unusual breeding biology in which the sexual dimorphism is reversed, with female being more brightly coloured than the male and it is the male that incubates the eggs and mainly cares for the young.
Region
Madagascar and Comoros
Typical Environment
Found across much of Madagascar outside dense rainforest, frequenting dry deciduous forest edges, savannas, scrub, fallow fields, and grassy agricultural margins. It also occurs on nearby islands in the Mozambique Channel such as Mayotte. The species keeps close to cover and uses leaf litter and low grass for concealment. It is generally local but can be common where suitable ground cover persists.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
This ground-dwelling bird shows reversed sexual dimorphism: females are brighter and do most of the calling, while males incubate the eggs and rear the chicks. When disturbed it prefers to run and only flushes in a short, whirring flight at the last moment. It is widespread in Madagascar and occurs on some nearby islands such as Mayotte.
Temperament
secretive and wary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and explosive when flushed
Social Behavior
Typically found singly, in pairs, or small family groups. The breeding system is polyandrous: females establish territories and court mates, while males incubate and care for the young. Nests are shallow ground scrapes hidden in grass or under low shrubs.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
The female gives the characteristic far-carrying, booming hoots used for advertising and territorial displays. Males and chicks use softer clucks and contacts within cover. Calls are often heard at dawn and dusk.
Plumage
Cryptically mottled and barred upperparts with buff, brown, and rufous tones; underparts buff with fine barring. Females show a darker, blackish throat and breast patch with white speckling and a rufous collar; males are duller with a plainer throat.
Diet
Feeds on small invertebrates such as ants, termites, beetles, and other insects, as well as seeds and green plant matter. It forages by gleaning and scratching through leaf litter and soft soil. Diet composition varies seasonally with rainfall and seed availability.
Preferred Environment
Usually feeds on the ground under grass tussocks, along field margins, and at the edges of scrub or woodland. Often uses lightly grazed pastures, fallows, and rice-field edges where cover and food are both available.
