Little Button-quail (Turnix velox)

What do they look like? Tiny fawn to brown, well-camouflaged birds. They are ground-dwelling, usually seen after flushing explosively from cover when approached. Sometimes seen in small groups running rapidly from cover to cover.

Where do they live? Wide range of woodlands and open forests where there is moderate ground cover. Prefer areas with a variety of different grass species, leaf litter and log cover.

What do they need to live, eat and breed? Forage on the ground for seeds and small invertebrates such as cockroaches and spiders. Need cover in which to breed, especially fallen timber, moderate grass or shrub cover.

When might I see (or hear) them? Although reasonably common, not often seen except when flushed from grass by vehicles, dogs, horses or humans. Occasionally, a combination of rapid breeding under good conditions and migration into an area after rainfall produces large numbers. They scratch leaf litter like chickens, though out in a circle, creating a rounded depression called a ‘platelet’.

What management actions affect this species? Maintain a mosaic of areas of vigorous native grasses as food sources and shelter that they can use and move between from time to time. They may not always be on your property, but if leaf litter, log cover and patchy, native grass cover is maintained, Little Button-quails will use those areas when other areas are in drought, get cleared or are otherwise unsuitable. Overgrazing or wildfire which causes loss of low ground cover over large areas is detrimental to Little Button-quails. The threat from predators like cats and foxes is higher when ground cover is low.

How do they benefit the land I manage? Little Button-quails turn over top soil and leaf litter, which helps soil health, nutrient and water infiltration. As with many seed eaters, they help spread and germinate perennial grass seeds through topsoil disturbance.

Similar species. Painted Button-quail (Turnix varia), Red-backed Button-quail (T. maculosa) and Red-chested Button-quail (T. pyrrhothorax). All are quite difficult to tell apart. True quail, like the Brown Quail (Coturnix ypsilophora) also look similar to button-quails.