From Opus

Photo by monika
Location: Whyalla, South Australia

Turnix varius

[edit] Identification

19-20 cm long. Female is brighter than the male. Red eye, crown, breast and face flecked with white, chestnut shoulders.
Juvenile is smaller and grey, more mottled, pale eyes.

[edit] Distribution

	Australia, Tasmania and New Caledonia (not shown on map)

[edit] Taxonomy

Forms superspecies with Buff-breasted Buttonquail and Chestnut-backed Buttonquail.

[edit] Subspecies

• T. v. novaecaledoniae - New Caledonia
• T. v. scintillans - Houtman Abrolhos Islands (off sw Australia)
• T. v. varius - SW, e and se Australia and Tasmania

The scientific name was formerly spelled varia.

[edit] Habitat

Scrub, grassy woodland, open forest, grassy clearings in dense forest, and heath.

[edit] Behaviour

Diet includes insects and seeds.

3-4 eggs are laid and are incubated by the male for 13-14 days. They are fed by the male and reach adulthood in 23 days.

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on the ABID

[edit] References

Birdata.com.au, Raw Data for Map