Turnicidae Buttonquail

Buttonquails bear greater resemblance to small Old World Coturnix quails than to any of their own shorebird relatives. Indeed, to tell the two apart in the hand, one is sometimes reduced to counting toes: turnicids have only three, lacking the hallux. Like the Plains-wanderer, these birds appear to be serially polyandrous, with the male being much less colorful and performing all the parental care. Interestingly, buttonquail chicks grow rapidly, and they reach sexual maturity after only three months, something that only a few passerines can equal. Little is known about these shy birds, but their distinctive manner of foraging leaves unique patches of circular cleared patches in the litter where they’ve been—a valuable clue for would-be turnicid seekers.