Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Buff-breasted Buttonquail (Turnix olivii), recorded as Critically Endangered
Buff-breasted Buttonquail (Turnix olivii). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Buff-breasted Buttonquail

Turnix olivii

Buff-breasted Buttonquail is a shorebird in the family Turnicidae (order Charadriiformes) — Turnix olivii. This species is endemic to Cape York Peninsula, in Queensland, Australia.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Turnix olivii
Recorded from
Australia
Taxonomy
Aves · Charadriiformes · Turnicidae · Turnix

Appearance

The sides of the head are marked with chestnut on an otherwise plain gray head. While the breast is warm buff-colored. The painted buttonquail and the brown quail both coexist with this species. The painted species is almost totally mottled, with bold white spotting on the breast and no warm buff coloration.

The buff-breasted buttonquail measures from 18–23 cm (7.1–9.1 in) and usually weighs over 110 g (3.9 oz).

Range and habitat

This species is endemic to Cape York Peninsula, in Queensland, Australia.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Diet and breeding

Details of their diet are little known, but (like most buttonquail) they probably eat insects and seeds, with sand used as a digestion aid. The breeding season is January through March.

The nest is a shallow depression with a dome of grasses and a side entrance, that itself is lined with grasses and leaves. Usually the nest site is well obscured behind grasses, low scrubs or tussock.

In crisis

The buff-breasted buttonquail is an endangered species, with a population estimated at 500 individuals and an historical range of 2,070 km2 (800 sq mi). T. Olivii has been listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List and the Australian EPBC Act.

Buff-breasted Buttonquail is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Buff-breasted Buttonquail, Wikidata item Q1270828. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Also in this catalog

Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii
Photograph of Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum

Quick answers

What is Buff-breasted Buttonquail?
The buff-breasted buttonquail is the largest and possibly the rarest of the buttonquail. This species is endemic to Cape York Peninsula, in Queensland, Australia.
What is the conservation status of Buff-breasted Buttonquail?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Turnix olivii. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Buff-breasted Buttonquail live?
This species is endemic to Cape York Peninsula, in Queensland, Australia.
Why is Buff-breasted Buttonquail in crisis?
The buff-breasted buttonquail is an endangered species, with a population estimated at 500 individuals and an historical range of 2,070 km2 (800 sq mi).
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Turnix olivii?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Buff-breasted Buttonquail a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.