Madagascar buttonquail were first bred in captivity in 1913.
During egg-laying, the female will walk about and utter a "pairing note" which becomes louder and louder.
Communication Channels: acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Few records exist of populations from the eastern, western, or northern parts of Madagascar. However, since this bird lives in a wide variety of habitats, it is thought to be common.
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
There are no known adverse affects of Madagascar buttonquail on humans.
By consuming weed seeds, this buttonquail may aid in eliminating unwanted plants.
Madagascar buttonquail have an impact on the plants whose seeds they eat.
In their varied habitats, these buttonquail eat grass seeds and other available weed seeds.
Plant Foods: seeds, grains, and nuts
Primary Diet: herbivore (Granivore )
Madagascar buttonquail are confined to Madagascar (Ogilvie-Grant, 1889). They have been introduced on Mauritius (since extinct), Reunion, and Iles Glorieuses (Johnsgard, 1991).
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )
Madagascar buttonquail can be found up to 1900 m in elevation in treeless grasslands, some cultivated fields, grassy savannas, open woodlands, and even dense, dry forests. They prefer to frequent areas of their habitat with dark recesses (Johnsgard, 1991).
Range elevation: 1900 (high) m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; scrub forest
Other Habitat Features: agricultural
We do not have information on lifespan/longevity for this species at this time.
Females' wings are 81 to 88 mm in length, while the males' wings are 72 to 82 mm long (Johnsgard, 1991). They weigh from 67 to 84 g. As with other buttonquail, the more colorful female has a black chin and throat, and there are rufous feathers covering the areas on the chest and breast just beyond the upper wings (Ogilvie-Grant, 1889; Johnsgard, 1991). The crown is brownish with small flecks of white, the forehead is barred in black with white, and the sides of the face are white tipped in black. Just below the beak, a white stripe extends down both sides of the throat. The back of the head is a dark gray, and the upper back and wings are blackish, barred in rufous, and edged in buff. The primary coverts are blackish-brown, edged in buff. The mid-wing coverts are rufous, flecked with black, and have irregular black and white spots mostly on the lower edge of the feather. The lower back, rump, and upper tail coverts are a brownish-gray with rufous mottling and wavy black bars. There may be terminal, marginal buff spots. The mid-chest, breast and abdomen are a lightish-gray to whitish color (Johnsgard, 1991).
The male is similar in coloration but lacks the chin and upper chest markings. Instead, his chin and mid-throat region are white, and his upper to mid-chest region are buff with black bars. In addition, his forehead feathers are edged in a wide margin of buff (Johnsgard, 1991).
Range mass: 67 to 84 g.
Sexual Dimorphism: female larger; sexes colored or patterned differently; female more colorful
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
We do not have information on predation for this species at this time.
All buttonquail are polyandrous.
Mating System: polyandrous
Breeding occurs in December and January. During egg-laying, the female will walk about and utter a "pairing note" which becomes louder and louder. The nest is a scrape on the ground. One nest was found to be constructed of moss with a 20 cm tunnel which led to the scrape on the ground. Another nest was found to have a tunnel of ribbon grass and moss 30 cm long. A clutch consists of two to four eggs which are 5 to 8 g in weight and 26.8 by 19.8 mm in length. While the female patrols the pair's territory, the male incubates the eggs for 13 to 16 days.
Breeding season: Breeding occurs in December and January.
Range eggs per season: 2 to 4.
Range time to hatching: 13 to 16 days.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous
While the female patrols the pair's territory, the male incubates the eggs for 13 to 16 days. Initially the male cares for the chicks, however, within a week the female also takes part in caring for the young.
Parental Investment: no parental involvement; pre-hatching/birth (Protecting: Male, Female); pre-weaning/fledging
The Madagascar buttonquail (Turnix nigricollis) 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.
The Madagascar buttonquail was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with grouse like birds in the genus Tetrao and coined the binomial name Tetrao nigricollis.[2] Gmelin based his description on the earlier accounts by the French naturalists Mathurin Jacques Brisson and Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon.[3][4][5] The Madagascar buttonquail is now placed in the genus Turnix that was introduced in 1791 by French naturalist in Pierre Bonnaterre.[6][7] The genus name is an abbreviation of the genus Coturnix. The specific epithet combines the Latin niger meaning "black" with Modern Latin collis meaning "-necked".[8] The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.[7]
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. The top of the head is blackish and the mantle brownish-grey with some dark barring and cinnamon feather-edges, interspersed with some plain grey-brown feathers, giving a chequer-board effect. There is a white moustachial stripe below which the chin and upper throat form a black bib. The breast is cinnamon-pink and the belly grey with faint barring. The juvenile resembles the male but is somewhat darker and more heavily spotted.[9]
This buttonquail is endemic to the island of Madagascar and is present over most of the island in suitable habitat. It is found in grassland, open woodland, clearings, glades, the edges of forests, sandy and bushy locations, weedy places and cultivated areas, especially where cassava is grown.[9] It has been introduced to Mauritius, where it is now likely extinct and is present on Réunion and the Glorioso Islands, although it is unclear whether it is native there.[9]
The species is often seen alone or in small groups of up to four birds. If startled it may crouch to avoid detection, or may run away, but seldom flies unless danger is very close. Even then, it flies with rapid wingbeats for only a short distance. It forages by scratching in the plant litter like a chicken, leaving distinctive circular depressions. It mainly feeds on invertebrates and has a particular liking for termite larvae. One individual was found to have eaten snails, cockroaches, beetles, flies, bugs and caterpillars. It may also eat seeds.[9]
As with other members of this family, the female plays the more active role in the breeding season, defending a territory and making vocalisations to attract a male. The nest is built in a slight depression on the ground often concealed in a grass tussock or thick vegetation. It is built by both birds from dried grasses and stems, dead leaves and sometimes feathers. It may be partially roofed with dead leaves and sometimes is approached by a covered runway. A clutch of about four, heavily blotched eggs is laid. The male incubates these for about a fortnight, possibly being relieved by the female occasionally; he is also responsible for the care of the young, feeding them for the first week from his bill before they start to peck food from the ground.[9] The female is at first aggressive towards the chicks and the male defends them, but later the female takes on more of a caring role. The chicks become independent by the fifth week and may be driven away by the parents after this.[9]
The Madagascar buttonquail is a common bird in the north, west and south of the island but is less common in the central and eastern areas. Its total area of occupancy is estimated to be about 590,000 km2 (227,800 sq mi). While the species is a popular food source in many communities,[10] the population trend is believed to be stable, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "least concern".[1]
Isalo National Park, Madagascar
Ambola, Madagascar
San Diego Zoo
Turnix nigricollis - MHNT
The Madagascar buttonquail (Turnix nigricollis) 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.
