Barred Buttonquail
Encyclopedia
The Barred Buttonquail or Common Bustard-Quail (Turnix suscitator) is a buttonquail
, one of a small family of bird
s which resemble, but are unrelated to, the true quail
s. This species is resident from India
across tropical Asia
to south China
, Indonesia
and the Philippines
.
up to about 2500 m in the Himalayas; Sri Lanka
; Bangladesh
; Burma; Indonesia
and most of Southeast Asia
, Philippines
.
Four geographical races differ somewhat in colour.
Within South Asia, it is known by many local names: Sansorai (Assam
); Daoduma (Cachar); lnruibuma (Kacha Naga); Vohbubum (Kuki
); Simokpho (Lepcha
); linisk (Bhutea); Gulu,Gundra, Gundlu, Salui gundra (Hindi
); Gulu (Bengal
); Kalada - male, Pured - female (Telugu
); Ankadik - male, Kurung kadik - female (Tamil
); Durwa (Ratnagiri
); Karechakki (Kannada); Bala watuwa (Sri Lanka
).
Found in most habitats except dense forest and desert. Partial to scrub jungle, light deciduous forest, and neighbourhood of cultivation.
Widespread and common throughout its large range, the Barred Buttonquail is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species.
A typical little quail
, rufous-brown above, rusty and buff below. Chin, throat and breast closely barred with black. Female larger and more richly coloured, with throat and middle of breast black. The blue-grey bill and legs, and yellowish white eyes are diagnostic, as are also the pale buff shoulder-patches on the wings when in flight. Absence of hind toe distinguishes Bustard and Button quails from true quails. Pairs, in scrub and grassland.
Unlike other buttonquail, are not as difficult to see, since it tends to cross, or run along, savannah tracks, and is readily viewed from a vehicle.
Feeds on insects and seeds, and is reluctant to fly.
The calls are a motorcycle-like drr-r-r-r-r-r and a loud hoon- hoon-hoon.
The hen goes off to acquire another husband, and perhaps yet another, and so on, evidently only one at a time.
Buttonquail
Buttonquail or hemipodes are members of a small family of birds, Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae. They inhabit warm grasslands in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia...
, one of a small family of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s which resemble, but are unrelated to, the true quail
Quail
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...
s. This species is resident from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
across tropical Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
to south China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Distribution
All of IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
up to about 2500 m in the Himalayas; Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
; Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
; Burma; Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and most of Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Four geographical races differ somewhat in colour.
Within South Asia, it is known by many local names: Sansorai (Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
); Daoduma (Cachar); lnruibuma (Kacha Naga); Vohbubum (Kuki
Kuki
Kuki can refer to:* Kuki, Saitama, a city in Japan* one of the Kuki peoples who live in northeastern India * one of the Kukish languages spoken by the Kuki and related peoples...
); Simokpho (Lepcha
Lepcha language
Lepcha language, or Róng language , is a Himalayish language spoken by the Lepcha people in Sikkim and parts of West Bengal, Nepal and Bhutan.-Population:...
); linisk (Bhutea); Gulu,Gundra, Gundlu, Salui gundra (Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
); Gulu (Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
); Kalada - male, Pured - female (Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
); Ankadik - male, Kurung kadik - female (Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
); Durwa (Ratnagiri
Ratnagiri
Ratnāgiri is a port city on the Arabian Sea coast in Ratnagiri district in the southwestern part of Maharashtra, India. The district is a part of Konkan.The Sahyadri mountains border Ratnagiri to the east...
); Karechakki (Kannada); Bala watuwa (Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
).
Found in most habitats except dense forest and desert. Partial to scrub jungle, light deciduous forest, and neighbourhood of cultivation.
Widespread and common throughout its large range, the Barred Buttonquail is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species.
Description
Quail
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...
, rufous-brown above, rusty and buff below. Chin, throat and breast closely barred with black. Female larger and more richly coloured, with throat and middle of breast black. The blue-grey bill and legs, and yellowish white eyes are diagnostic, as are also the pale buff shoulder-patches on the wings when in flight. Absence of hind toe distinguishes Bustard and Button quails from true quails. Pairs, in scrub and grassland.
Unlike other buttonquail, are not as difficult to see, since it tends to cross, or run along, savannah tracks, and is readily viewed from a vehicle.
Feeds on insects and seeds, and is reluctant to fly.
The calls are a motorcycle-like drr-r-r-r-r-r and a loud hoon- hoon-hoon.
Nesting
Differs from true quails chiefly in the female being polyandrous. The female is the brighter of the sexes, initiates courtship and builds the ground nest. She fights with other females for the possession of a cock, uttering a loud drumming drr-r-r-r-r as a challenge to rival hens and also to announce herself to a cock. Eggs when laid are left to be incubated by the cock who also tends the young, which can run as soon as they are hatched.The hen goes off to acquire another husband, and perhaps yet another, and so on, evidently only one at a time.
- Season: practically throughout the year, varying locally.
- Nest - a grass-lined scrape or depression in scrub jungle or crops, often arched over by surrounding grass. Eggs - 3 or 4, greyish white profusely speckled with reddish brown or blackish purple.
External links
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
- IUCN Red List
- Barred Buttonquail videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection