Red-chested Buttonquail

1. Females have bright rusty-orange chests; males have paler underparts with white chins.

2. The uniformly dark upperparts lack the strong contrast seen in other buttonquails.

3. Listen for the repeated "oom-oom-oom-oom" call, rising in pitch at the end of each note.

Like other buttonquails, females courting multiple males who then incubate eggs and raise chicks alone. Breeding occurs in northern Australia from February to July and in southern regions from September to February. Males build grass-lined nests hidden in grass tussocks. These birds create distinctive circular feeding scrapes in the soil by pivoting on one foot while raking with the other.

Red-chested Buttonquails inhabit dense grasslands across Australia, preferring native grasses with sufficient cover. Look for them on the ground in grasslands, especially at dawn and dusk when they're most active. They're rarely seen until flushed from almost underfoot, making a heart-stopping explosive exit before flying low and dropping quickly back into cover. Their secretive nature makes them challenging to spot, so listen for their distinctive rising "oom-oom" calls during breeding season. Pay particular attention to areas with short, dense grass rather than tall, rank vegetation.