Open AccessFirst confirmed record of Chestnut-backed Button-quail Turnix castanotus in Queensland
Author(s) -
Patrick Webster,
Henry J. Stoetzel
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
australian field ornithology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2206-3447
pISSN - 1448-0107
DOI - 10.20938/afo38145150
Subject(s) - quail , woodland , geography , range (aeronautics) , archaeology , habitat , ecology , biology , engineering , aerospace engineering
The Chestnut-backed Button-quail Turnix castanotus is widely distributed in monsoonal tropical woodland but previously known only from the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Here we provide the first verified record in Queensland. We observed at least eight birds during October and November 2020 at Westmoreland Station, which is located in far north-western Queensland. These observations represent a significant (~215 km) easterly range extension and are the first confirmed records of this species for Queensland. Chestnut-backed Button-quail had gone undetected in Queensland likely owing to the difficulty in locating and identifying button-quail generally and the low number of birdwatchers in the region. A potential record made by W.R. McLennan in 1910 may represent a previously unreported record of this species in Queensland. Here we describe our observations in 2020 and the habitat where the species was recorded.