Buttonquail is the name of a group of ground-dwelling birds that resemble quails. Buttonquails live primarily in warm grasslands of Africa, Asia, Australia, southern Europe, and the Pacific Islands. Most males have brownish or grayish plumage, but the females are more elaborately colored. The birds reach 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) long, with females growing larger than males. People often call buttonquails hemipode quails, which means half-footed quails, because the birds’ feet lack rear toes.
Buttonquails feed on both plants and animals, mostly seeds and insects. Females are the dominant sex, and they defend their territories aggressively against other females. Unlike males, buttonquail females have an inflatable vocal organ that they use to make booming calls. The females often mate with several males, and they typically lay about four eggs. The males sit on the eggs to hatch them and then care for the chicks.
