Common Buttonquail

Turnix sylvaticus

Silhouette: PhyloPic · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
FamilyTurnicidae (Buttonquails)
GenusTurnix (Buttonquail)
SpeciesTurnix sylvaticus (Common Buttonquail)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Gorongosa National Park

2 Verified sightings at Gorongosa National Park From 2019 to 2026

830 Verified sightings across all 37 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Common Buttonquail

The common buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus), also called Kurrichane buttonquail and Andalusian hemipode, is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds that resemble but are not closely related to the true quails. The common buttonquail was formally described and illustrated in 1789 by the French botanist René Louiche Desfontaines under the binomial name Tetrao sylvaticus. The specific epithet sylvaticus is Latin meaning "of the woods". It is now placed in the genus Turnix that was named in 1840 by Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre.

Nine subspecies are recognised: T. s. sylvaticus (Desfontaines, 1789) – the southern Iberian Peninsula and northwestern Africa T. s. lepurana (Smith, A, 1836) – Africa south of the Sahara T. s. dussumier (Temminck, 1828) – eastern Iran to Myanmar

T. s. davidi Delacour & Jabouille, 1930 – central Thailand to southern China, northern Indochina and Taiwan T. s. bartelsorum Neumann, 1929 – Java and Bali, Indonesia T. s. whiteheadi Ogilvie-Grant, 1897 – Luzon, the northern Philippines

T. s. celestinoi McGregor, 1907 – Bohol and Mindanao, the southern Philippines T. s. nigrorum duPont, 1976 – Negros island †T. s. suluensis Mearns, 1905 – the Sulu Archipelago... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Gorongosa National Park

Actophilornis africanus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Vanellus armatus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Glareola pratincola

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Burhinus vermiculatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Vanellus senegallus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Vanellus lugubris

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Himantopus himantopus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Tringa glareola

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Rynchops flavirostris

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Chlidonias hybrida

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Tringa nebularia

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Actitis hypoleucos

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Kidepo Valley National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~10%
2	Queen Elizabeth National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~10%
3	Hwange National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	<5%
4	Ruaha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
5	Tsavo West National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
6	Mkomazi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
7	Kafue National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	<5%
8	Samburu National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
9	Serengeti National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
10	Masai Mara National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
11	Tsavo East National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
12	Moremi Game Reserve	🇧🇼 Botswana	<5%
13	Nairobi National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
14	Kruger National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
15	Bali Barat National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	<5%
16	Ngorongoro Conservation Area	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
17	Tarangire National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
18	Chobe National Park	🇧🇼 Botswana	<5%
19	Virunga National Park	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	<5%
20	Mikumi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
21	Kaeng Krachan National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	Insufficient data
22	Gonarezhou National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	Insufficient data
23	Addo Elephant National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
24	Awash National Park	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	Insufficient data
25	Arusha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
26	Pilanesberg National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
27	Gorongosa National Park	🇲🇿 Mozambique	Insufficient data
28	Akagera National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	Insufficient data
29	Murchison Falls National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
30	Aberdare National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	Insufficient data
31	Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
32	Amboseli National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	Insufficient data
33	South Luangwa National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	Insufficient data
34	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
35	Lake Mburo National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
36	Etosha National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	Insufficient data
37	Jim Corbett National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data

← Back to Gorongosa National Park

Common Buttonquail

About the Common Buttonquail

Recent sightings of Common Buttonquail in Gorongosa National Park

Closest Relatives at Gorongosa National Park

African Jacana

Blacksmith Lapwing

Collared Pratincole

Water Thick-knee

African Wattled Lapwing

Senegal Lapwing

Black-winged Stilt

Wood Sandpiper

African Skimmer

Whiskered Tern

Common Greenshank

Common Sandpiper

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found