Buttonquails resemble the quails of family Phasianidae, but are unrelaed. They are small, drab, running birds, which avoid flying. The female is the more brightly coloured of the sexes, and initiates courtship. Unusually, the buttonquails are polyandrous, with the females circulating among several males and expelling rival females from her territory. Both sexes cooperate in building a nest in the earth, but only the male incubates the eggs and tends the young.
Range of buttonquails by caroldermoid
Genus Turnix
Buttonquail,_Barred Turnix suscitator Found: tropical Asia, Indonesia, Philippines
The Barred Buttonquail has many subspecies. A typical Buttonquail has rufous-brown upperparts; rusty and buff underparts; chin, throat, breast barred with black; blue-gray bill; yellowish-white eyes. Female is larger, more richly colored; has black throat, bib,
Image by: 1) Gururaja 1) Hans_De_Bisschop 2) L Shyamal - India 3) Hiyashi Haka 4) Werner Witte - Sri Lankar
2) race taigoor 3) race rostata 4) race leggei
Buttonquail,_Black-breasted Turnix melanogaster Found: eastern Austrailia
The Black-breasted Buttonuail has marbled plumaged - combination of black, brown, rufous, and white. Female is larger than male and has blacker face.
Image by: 1, 2) Tom Tarrant - Queensland 
Buttonquail,_Buff-breasted Turnix olivii Found: Cape York Peninsular of Australia
The Buff-breasted Buttonquail has chestnut back; gray head with chestnut sides; buff breast.
Similar to: Chestnut-backed Buttonquail. Range of Buff-breasted Buttonquail and Chestnut-backed Buttonquail do not overlap.
Image by: 1) Salvatore_ChamuSimilar to: Chestnut-backed Buttonquail. Range of Buff-breasted Buttonquail and Chestnut-backed Buttonquail do not overlap.
Buttonquail,_Chestnut-backed Turnix castanotus Found: northern Australia
Similar to: Buff-breasted Buttonquail. Range of Buff-breasted Buttonquail and
Chestnut-backed Buttonquail do not overlap.
Image by: 1) Nrg800~commonswiki 2) Biodiversity_Heritage_Library 3) Geoff Jones
2) Left, Center, Right: Chestnut-backed, Painted, and Black-breast are all Australian buttonquails
Buttonquail,_Little Turnix velox Found: Australia
The female Little Buttonquail has straw-brown upperparts with with white streaks; pale unmarked underparts. Male similar but upperparts less clearly marked. One of Australia's most common buttonquails.
Image by: 1) Nrg800 2) Ben_Parkhurst
Buttonquail,_Luzon Turnix worcesteri Found: Luzon island of Philippines
The Luzon Buttonquail is also known as the Worcester's Buttonquail. Only a few species have been photographed. Although this bird seems very scarce it remains so well hidden in its natural habitat that it may be more numerous than is thought.
Image by: 1) Arnel_Telesforo - Luzon
Buttonquail,_Madagascar Turnix nigricollis Found: Madagascar
The male Madagascar Buttonquail has light brown head with black-and-white streaking and mottling; grayish-brown upperparts with fine dark barring and pale-edged feathers; whitish chin, throat. Female is more brightly colored.
Image by: 1) Sandy Cole - San Diego Zoo 2, 3, 4, 5) Dick Daniels - Isola Park, Madagascarf 6) Nick Athanas 
Buttonquail,_Painted Turnix varius Found: Australasia
The female Painted Buttonuail has red speckled with white crown, face, breast; red eyes; chestnut shoulders. Male is slightly smaller and duller.
Image by: 1) Patrick_K59 2, 3) Aviceda - Queensland 4) Greg Miles
1, 2) Female 3) probably male
Buttonquail,_Red-backed Turnix maculosus Found: Australia, New Guinea
The Red-backed Buttonquail has gray upperparts barred with reddish-brown and black; sides boldly marked with spots and scallops; whitish lower throat; buff underparts.
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova 2) P-Khoo 3) Greg_Miles - New Guinea 4) eyeweed
Buttonquail,_Red-chested Turnix pyrrhothorax Found: Australia
The Red-chested Buttonquail has gray upperparts with rufous wash; blue-gray bill; pink legs.
Image by: 1) Nrg800 2) John_Gerrard_Keulemans 3) Roger_Williams
Buttonquail,_Small also Common Buttonquail Turnix sylvaticus Found: Spain, Africa, Asia
The Small Buttonquail has sandy brown upperparts with darker streaks; buff underparts; black flank markings;
Image by: 1) Francesco_Veronesi 2) Raju_Kasambe - India 3) Ayuwat_Jearwattanakanok.jpg){kind=link}
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Buttonquail,_Spotted Turnix ocellatus Found: Philippines
Image by: 1) Joseph_Smit 2) Neon Tomas Buenaflor Rosell
Buttonquail,_Sumba Turnix everetti Found: Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia
Image by: 1) James_Eaton 2) Andrew_Duff
Buttonquail,_Yellow-legged Turnix tanki Found: Indian Subcontinent, southeast Asia
Image by: 1) Totodu74 2) Lonelyshrimp
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Genus Ortyxelos - 1 species
Quail-plover Ortyxelos meiffrenii Found: Afica
The Quail-Plover has sandy-rufous upperparts; whitish underparts.
Image by: 1) Nigel_Voaden - Cameroon.jpg){kind=link}
