Geographic Range
Hottentot buttonquail range from Ghana and Cameroon east to Uganda and Kenya and south
to the northeastern part of Angola and Cape Province (Johnsgard, 1991). Some subspecies
may range as far west as Sierra Leone and as far north as Sudan (Clancy, 1967). These
birds are migratory and winter in the Sahel zone just below the Sahara (Johnsgard,
1991).
Habitat
Hottentot buttonquail are found in grasslands and on the fringes of marshes where
the grass is less dense. They are also found on scrub lands with thin stands of grasses
and low bushes as well as fallow fields and gardens (Clancy, 1967). These buttonquail
are adapted to arid regions (Johnsgard, 1991).
- Terrestrial Biomes
- savanna or grassland
- scrub forest
- Wetlands
- marsh
- Other Habitat Features
- agricultural
Physical Description
On average, female hottentot buttonquail are 15 cm long, and males are 14 cm long.
They weigh between 40 and 62 g. Females are black above with rufous mottling. Most
of the feathers of the crown are back and edged in white. The rump and upper tail
feathers are black. The rest of the head, the sides of the throat, and upper breast
are buff, while the feathers capping the wings are a golden buff color. Feathers
on the sides of the neck and breast are barred with black and white. Wing coverts
are brownish-black and the outer primaries have a partial buff margin; the wing feathers
are mottled with light red, buff and white, and barred with black. Wing tips are
white. The lower breast and abdomen are buff grading to white. There are heavy blackish-brown
spots on the breast, over the sides of the body and on the flanks.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- female larger
Reproduction
All buttonquail are polyandrous.
- Mating System
- polyandrous
Breeding occurs during or just after the rainy season. Mating occurs in South Africa from October to January, in Zimbabwe from September to February, in Malawi in April, in Nigeria in December and January, and in Kenya from May to July and October (Johnsgard, 1991).
The nest is a scrape (Clancy, 1967) or a scant pad of grass blades on the ground,
under the canopy of a green or dried grass tuft (Johnsgard, 1991). Clutch size is
two to six eggs; males incubate for 12 to 14 days (Johnsgard, 1991). The eggs are
pyriform in shape, yellowish with light and dark brown speckles, and are 23 to 25
mm by 17 to 20 mm (Clancy, 1967).
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- oviparous
Male hottentot buttonquail incubate the eggs for 12 to 14 days.
- Parental Investment
- no parental involvement
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
protecting
- male
-
protecting
Lifespan/Longevity
We do not have information on lifespan/longevity for this species at this time.
Behavior
Little is known about this buttonquail since it is uncommon in its native habitat
(Clancy, 1967).
- Key Behaviors
- flies
- motile
Home Range
We do not have information on home range for this species at this time.
Communication and Perception
The females utter a series of low-pitched, "hoo" notes that resonate.
- Communication Channels
- acoustic
Food Habits
Hottentot buttonquail eat grasses, weeds, insects and their larvae, and other invertebrates.
- Primary Diet
- omnivore
- Animal Foods
- insects
- terrestrial non-insect arthropods
- Plant Foods
- leaves
Predation
We do not have information on predation for this species at this time.
Ecosystem Roles
Hottentot buttonquail have an impact on the prey and plants they eat.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
As a result of their food habits, these buttonquail may help control weed and insect pests.
- Positive Impacts
- controls pest population
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known adverse affects of hottentot buttonquail on humans.
Conservation Status
Hottentot buttonquail are not listed by either the IUCN or CITES.
Additional Links
Contributors
Alaine Camfield (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Janice Pappas (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Ethiopian
-
living in sub-Saharan Africa (south of 30 degrees north) and Madagascar.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- tropical savanna and grassland
-
A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.
- savanna
-
A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.
- temperate grassland
-
A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.
- scrub forest
-
scrub forests develop in areas that experience dry seasons.
- marsh
-
marshes are wetland areas often dominated by grasses and reeds.
- agricultural
-
living in landscapes dominated by human agriculture.
- polyandrous
-
Referring to a mating system in which a female mates with several males during one breeding season (compare polygynous).
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- oviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- omnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats all kinds of things, including plants and animals
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
References
Clancy, P. 1967. Gamebirds of Southern Africa . Cape Town: Purnell & Sons Ltd.
Johnsgard, P. 1991. Bustards, Hemipodes, and Sandgrouse: Birds of Dry Places . Oxford: Oxford University Press.