Chestnut-backed Buttonquail

Chestnut-backed Buttonquail

Turnix castanotus

Silhouette: PhyloPic · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered Endemic
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Kakadu National Park
13 Verified sightings at Kakadu National Park From 2019 to 2026
18 Verified sightings across all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month highest sighting rate
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted Active throughout day and night

About the Chestnut-backed Buttonquail

The chestnut-backed buttonquail (Turnix castanotus) is a species of bird in the family Turnicidae. It is endemic to Australia. John Gould described the species in 1840, from a specimen collected by Benjamin Bynoe, ship's surgeon of HMS Beagle, from northwestern Australia, as Hemipodius castanotus. English zoologist George Gray placed it in the genus Turnix in 1870. William Robert Ogilvie-Grant corrected the name to Turnix castanonota in 1889. Three subspecies were described by Gregory Mathews, but all are now considered as invalid and merely individual variants.

"Chestnut-backed buttonquail" has been designated the official name by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC). The species name is derived from the Ancient Greek words kastanon "chestnut" and noton "back". Gould called it "chestnut-backed hemipode" in 1848, noting the colonists called it "thick-billed quail". The buttonquail species were generally known as "quail" (hence "chestnut-backed quail" ) until the RAOU promoted the current usage of "buttonquail" in 1978, which was then universally adopted.

Native to northern Australia, the species ranges from the Dampier... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
2 Nitmiluk National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
3 Litchfield National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Chestnut-backed Buttonquail in Kakadu National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-backed Buttonquail sighting in Kakadu National Park, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Chestnut-backed Buttonquail in Kakadu National Park?

October has the highest sighting rate for Chestnut-backed Buttonquail in Kakadu National Park in our monthly data.

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