Common Buttonquail

Common Buttonquail

Turnix sylvaticus

Silhouette: PhyloPic · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Masai Mara National Reserve
75 Verified sightings at Masai Mara National Reserve From 2019 to 2026
830 Verified sightings across all 37 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ 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 Masai Mara National Reserve

Crowned Lapwing
LC

Crowned Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus coronatus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
African Wattled Lapwing
LC

African Wattled Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus senegallus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Spur-winged Lapwing
LC

Spur-winged Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus spinosus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Black-winged Lapwing
LC

Black-winged Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus melanopterus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Temminck's Courser
LC

Temminck's Courser

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cursorius temminckii

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Common Sandpiper
LC

Common Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Actitis hypoleucos

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
African Jacana
LC

African Jacana

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Actophilornis africanus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Wood Sandpiper
LC

Wood Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa glareola

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Green Sandpiper
LC

Green Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa ochropus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Water Thick-knee
LC

Water Thick-knee

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Burhinus vermiculatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Senegal Lapwing
LC

Senegal Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus lugubris

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Blacksmith Lapwing
LC

Blacksmith Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus armatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

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

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Common Buttonquail in Masai Mara National Reserve?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Buttonquail sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve, based on 75 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Common Buttonquail in Masai Mara National Reserve?

July has the highest sighting rate for Common Buttonquail in Masai Mara National Reserve in our monthly data.

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