Painted Buttonquail (Turnix varius)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Painted Buttonquail

Turnix varius (Latham, 1801)

19–20 cmLength90 gWeight

The painted buttonquail (Turnix varius) is a species of buttonquail, the family Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae.

Busiest months: August–October · Most records: Australia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Painted Buttonquail has been recorded at 93 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Crusoe Reservoir and No. 7 ParkAustralia214 records
  2. You Yangs Regional ParkAustralia92 records
  3. Terrick Terrick National ParkAustralia88 records
More places
  1. Sheep Station Creek Conservation ParkAustralia82 records
  2. Lake Samsonvale – Golds Scrub LaneAustralia77 records
  3. Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park – ChilternAustralia67 records
  4. Nature Refuge Hawkesbury RoadAustralia67 records
  5. Gold Creek ReservoirAustralia64 records
  6. Lake Samsonvale – Postmans TrackAustralia60 records
  7. Greater Bendigo National Park – KamarookaAustralia57 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Australia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The painted buttonquail (Turnix varius) is a species of buttonquail, the family Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae. This species is resident in Australia where numbers are believed to be in decline. A subspecies, the Abrolhos painted buttonquail (Turnix varius scintillans), is endemic to the Houtman Abrolhos islands.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Painted Buttonquail?

The Painted Buttonquail is about 19–20 cm long and weighs around 90 g.

Where does the Painted Buttonquail live?

Its breeding range: Australasia: southwestern, southeastern, eastern Australia and Tasmania. It is most often recorded in Australia.

When is the best time to see the Painted Buttonquail?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in August, September and October (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Painted Buttonquail endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Painted Buttonquail as Least Concern.

What does the Painted Buttonquail eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Painted Buttonquail in?

It belongs to the family Buttonquail (Turnicidae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Length
19–20 cm
Weight
90 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Omnivore
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
99 mm
Tail
47 mm
Bill
15 mm
Tarsus
22 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Australasia: southwestern, southeastern, eastern Australia and Tasmania

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Buttonquail Turnicidae
Genus
Turnix

Other birds in the genus Turnix

Yellow-legged ButtonquailYellow-legged ButtonquailTurnix tankiRed-backed ButtonquailRed-backed ButtonquailTurnix maculosusBarred ButtonquailBarred ButtonquailTurnix suscitatorSpotted ButtonquailSpotted ButtonquailTurnix ocellatusCommon ButtonquailCommon ButtonquailTurnix sylvaticusLittle ButtonquailLittle ButtonquailTurnix veloxRed-chested ButtonquailRed-chested ButtonquailTurnix pyrrhothoraxLuzon ButtonquailLuzon ButtonquailTurnix worcesteriSumba ButtonquailSumba ButtonquailTurnix everettiBlack-rumped ButtonquailBlack-rumped ButtonquailTurnix nanusFynbos ButtonquailFynbos ButtonquailTurnix hottentottusChestnut-backed ButtonquailChestnut-backed ButtonquailTurnix castanotus
Painted Buttonquail

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Indra Bone. ↗

WebP · 1070 px

Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.

In other languages