- Ortyxelos meiffrenii
Identification
3.9–5.1 in (10–13 cm); male 0.6–0.7 oz (16–20 g), female larger. Tiny, gracile, courser-like buttonquail, mottled red with pale belly. Wings and tail longer than in Turnix, dark with conspicuous white flashes in flight. Female has redder breast and broader white tip to tail. Juvenile duller and paler, more mottled.
Distribution
Tropical Africa from Senegal east to Sudan and Kenya, including south Ghana and possibly elsewhere in west Africa.
Taxonomy
Habitat
Dry, sparse grassland, savanna, scrub, and dense shrubland.
Behaviour
Terrestrial. Otherwise little known. Eats grass seeds and insects obtained from the ground. Little is known about its reproduction. Lays from September to March in the cool dry season. Possibly monogamouns. Clutch is two eggs, incubated by the male.
