Button Quail

Looks how to spot one

feathers

A tiny, round, almost tailless ground bird. Wild-type males are richly coloured, with a slate-blue neck and flanks, chestnut belly and a bold black-and-white face pattern, while females wear plain, warm brown with a lighter belly for camouflage.1

Personality what they are like

A gentle little ground bird that can become quite tame with patient handling. Its calls are soft and unobtrusive, which makes it well suited to indoor keeping, though it tends to burst upward when startled.2

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Spends its day walking, scratching and dust bathing on the floor rather than perching; enjoys foraging through bedding.21

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Keeps its feathers in order by dust bathing, so provide a dry sand or soil bath. Use a mesh or soft top on the enclosure because startled birds jump straight up.2

Home where they are happiest

Roughly 0.23 cubic metres (8 cubic ft, e.g. 61 x 61 x 61 cm) per adult, with a solid floor covered in paper bedding, pine shavings, hay or soil (not cedar). Indoors at normal room temperature, no higher than about 27 C (80 F).2

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Game bird crumble should make up at least 60-70% of the diet, with vegetables, fruit, live insects and grit added. Wild birds eat grass and rape seeds, greens and insects such as termites.21

Company who they like around

Keep one male with a small group of females; males should not be housed together.2

The story where it all began

A wild quail of Asian and Australasian grasslands, it has become a well-loved aviary and pet bird worldwide. Breeders have developed a range of colour mutations, and it is often kept on the floor of finch aviaries or in its own indoor enclosure.1

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Listed as Least Concern.1

Aviculture

Widely bred in captivity, with colour mutations such as blue, brown, silver, maroon, dark brown and near-black males.1