Madagascar Buttonquail
Turnix nigricollis
The Madagascar Buttonquail (Turnix nigricollis) is a rare buttonquail found in 3 countries, weighing about 61 g. 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.
About the Madagascar Buttonquail
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.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The Madagascar buttonquail is a stocky bird with a small head and short legs and tail. Both sexes are cryptically coloured; the male has a light brown head with black and white streaking and mottling, and a greyish-brown back and wings with fine dark barring and pale-edged feathers, the barring on the outer scapulars being bolder. The tail is greyish-brown with fine barring. The chin and throat are whitish, the breast cinnamon-buff with dark barring and the belly whitish. The bill is bluish-grey, the irises white or pale grey and the legs greyish. The female is more brightly coloured.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Mauritius.
When to see it
Best months: July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in October. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Madagascar Buttonquail?
- The Madagascar buttonquail is a stocky bird with a small head and short legs and tail. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Madagascar Buttonquail?
- The Madagascar Buttonquail is a medium sized bird weighing about 61 g.
- Where can you see a Madagascar Buttonquail?
- The Madagascar Buttonquail occurs in 3 countries, including Madagascar and Réunion.
- What birds look similar to a Madagascar Buttonquail?
- The Madagascar Buttonquail is most easily confused with the Red-chested Buttonquail, the Red-backed Buttonquail and the Black-breasted Buttonquail.
- Is the Madagascar Buttonquail endangered?
- The Madagascar Buttonquail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Madagascar Buttonquail for real
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