CreatureData

Common buttonquail vs Red-backed buttonquail

The common buttonquail is heavier: 52.7 g against 39.1 g for the red-backed buttonquail, about 35% more.

Common buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus)
Common buttonquail LCLeast Concern
Photo: Francesco Veronesi from Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Red-backed buttonquail (Turnix maculosus)
Red-backed buttonquail LCLeast Concern
Photo: JJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

What is the difference between a common buttonquail and a red-backed buttonquail?

Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.

  • The common buttonquail is heavier: 52.7 g against 39.1 g for the red-backed buttonquail, about 35% more.
  • Both belong to the genus Turnix, so they are close relatives.
  • Both are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Side by side

Common buttonquailRed-backed buttonquail
Scientific nameTurnix sylvaticusTurnix maculosus
FamilyTurnicidaeTurnicidae
OrderCharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Weight42.9 g – 52.7 g33.9 g – 45.2 g
LengthNot recordedNot recorded
LifespanNot recordedNot recorded
Main foodNot recordedNot recorded
Habitatshrublandgrassland
Conservation statusLeast ConcernLeast Concern
Countries recordedNot recorded1

A scale drawing needs a recorded length for both animals; only weights are on record for this pair.

Full record: Common buttonquailFull record: Red-backed buttonquailCompare other animals