Abrolhos painted buttonquail
| Abrolhos painted buttonquail | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Turnicidae |
| Genus: | Turnix |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | T. v. scintillans
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| Trinomial name | |
| Turnix varius scintillans (Gould, 1845)
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The Abrolhos painted buttonquail (Turnix varius scintillans) is a subspecies of the painted buttonquail endemic to the Houtman Abrolhos. It is common on North Island, and also occurs on other islands of the Wallabi Group, namely East Wallabi, West Wallabi, Seagull and Pigeon Islands.[1]
Taxonomy
The first recorded sighting of the bird by Europeans was during the third voyage of HMS Beagle. On 22 May 1840, the crew of the ship landed at North Island, which John Lort Stokes described thus:[2]
"The island was about a mile across, and nearly circular. It was surrounded by a range of hills, with a flat in the centre, covered with coarse grass, where a great many quails were flushed, affording good sport, but not a single wallaby."
Five years later, the subspecies was formally published by John Gould.[3]
Description
It lives amongst dunes and sand flats covered with Spinifex, saltbush and samphire, and avoids areas of limestone pavement. It obtains food such as insects and seeds by scratching in the surface soil, but also will collect scraps it can find.[4] It breeds from April to October. Its nest is a scrape in loose soil about ten centimetres wide and two centimetres deep, beneath vegetation. The species matures at one year and has a longevity of nine years.[1]
Conservation status
In 2003 it was assessed as "fauna which is rare, or likely to become extinct" under the WA Wildlife Conservation Act 1950. Islands where it breeds are considered to have a high conservation value. Rats and cats have been introduced to the ecosystem which may pose a threat to the population.[5]
A 2018 study ranked it fifth in a list of Australian birds most likely to go extinct.[6]
As of July 2022[update] the subspecies is listed as "
References
- ^ a b Storr, G. M.; Johnstone, R. E.; Griffin, P. (1986). "Birds of the Houtman Abholhos, Western Australia". Records of the Western Australian Museum (Supplement No. 24).
- ^ Stokes, John Lort (1846). Discoveries in Australia, Volume 2. London: T. and W. Boone. Retrieved 18 November 2007.
- ^ Gould, John (1844). "May 27, 1845". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. pt.12-15 (1844-1847). Academic Press, [etc.]: 62. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia. 48: 1–14.
- ISSN 0819-4327. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ "Petauroides volans - Greater Glider (southern and central)". Species Profile and Threats Database. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australian Government. Retrieved 11 July 2022.