Overview
Similar in structure and form to other members of the Turnicidae family, with a rufous-chestnut color across its back in place of the barred appearance of many of its relatives.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Bird
- Family
- Turnicidae
- Genus
- Turnix
- Species
- castanotus
Habitat
Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.
Diet
Seeds and insects.
Behavior
The female makes a low-pitched oom call. The usual sex roles are reversed in the buttonquail genus, as the larger and more brightly-coloured female mates with multiple male partners and leaves them to incubate the eggs. One or two broods are probably laid each year; the nest is a shallow depression scraped out of the leaf litter and ground, lined with dried vegetation. Three or four shiny grey-white or buff eggs splotched with dark brown-black and lavender are laid measuring 28 mm x 23 mm.
Hunting
Hunted indigenously.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by IUCN.