Wildlifeof Bhutan
Barred Buttonquail
Shorebirds
Photo: Christoph Moning · CC BY 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Turnix suscitator
Basic stats
Habitat
Scrub jungle or crops; ground nest arched over by grass; up to about 2,500m in the Himalayas
Range
Throughout India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines and most of Southeast Asia
Clutch size
3–4 greyish-white eggs, speckled reddish-brown or purplish-black
The barred buttonquail, or common bustard-quail, is a small buttonquail, rufous-brown above and rusty and buff below, with the chin, throat and breast closely barred with black. The female is larger and more richly coloured, with a black throat and middle breast. Blue-grey bill and legs, yellowish-white eyes and pale buff shoulder patches in flight are diagnostic, and it lacks a hind toe (Wikipedia, general species account).
It occurs throughout India up to about 2,500m in the Himalayas and across much of Southeast Asia. The female is polyandrous, courts the male and builds the grass-lined ground nest. The male incubates the three or four eggs and tends the young, which can run as soon as they hatch. Calls include a motorcycle-like 'drr-r-r-r' and a loud 'hoon-hoon-hoon'.
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Barred Buttonquail live in?
- Scrub jungle or crops; ground nest arched over by grass; up to about 2,500m in the Himalayas
- Where is the Barred Buttonquail found?
- Throughout India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines and most of Southeast Asia
- How many eggs does the Barred Buttonquail lay?
- 3–4 greyish-white eggs, speckled reddish-brown or purplish-black