Turnix maculosus
Small Turnix with darkish UpP, slender yellow bill, pale eyes and yellow legs. Female brighter and more rufous than male. Non-breeding birds duller, also some individual variationin brightness. Juvenile smalle, darker, more motted and scalloped, with darky eyes. Races vary in size and colour, some much darker overall.
Not Threatened.
Small Turnix with darkish UpP, slender yellow bill, pale eyes and yellow legs. Female brighter and more rufous than male. Non-breeding birds duller, also some individual variationin brightness. Juvenile smalle, darker, more motted and scalloped, with darky eyes. Races vary in size and colour, some much darker overall.
12-26 cm, male 23-30 g, female 32-51 g.
Taxonomy:
- Hemipodius maculosus Temminck, 1815, Timor. May form superspecies with T. sylvatica, with which formerly considered conspecific, but differs in colouring of plumage, bill and legs. Alternatively, may be closely related to T. tanki, although this seems less likely. Formerly recognized races yorki (NE Australia) and pseutes (NW Australia) now considered inseparable from melanota; mayri sometimes merged with similar horsbrughi (New Guinea). Race T. sylvatica celestinoi of SE Philippines often referred to present species, on grounds of sympatry of two distinct Turnix forms on M. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * beccarii Salvadori, 1875 - Sulawesi, Muna and Tukangbesi Is. * kinneari Neumann, 1939 - Peleng (Banggai Is). * obiensis Sutter, 1955 - Obi and Kai Is (Moluccas), Babar (Lesser Sundas). * sumbana Sutter, 1955 - Sumba (Lesser Sundas). * floresiana Sutter, 1955 - Sumbawa, Komodo, Padar, Flores, Alor (Lesser Sundas). * maculosa (Temminck, 1815) - Timor, Wetar, Kisar, Moa (Lesser Sundas). * savuensis Sutter, 1955 - Sawu (Lesser Sundas). * saturata Forbes, 1882 - New Britain and Duke of York I (Bismarck Archipelago). * furva Parkes, 1949 - Huon Peninsula (NE New Guinea). * giluwensis Sims, 1954 - CE New Guinea. * horsbrughi Ingram, 1909 - S New Guinea. * mayri Sutter, 1955 - Louisiade Archipelago. * salamonis Mayr, 1938 - Guadalcanal (Solomon Is). * melanota (Gould, 1837) - N & E Australia.
Rank grassland, crops and sedgeland, also grassy ground cover in woodland, often moistor seasonally flooded, from sea-level up to 2400 m. Breed in dense grass near water.
Seeds of grasses, also green shoots and invertebrates – more insectivorous than other species. Swallows grit and sand, presumably to aid mechanical breakdown of seeds. Terrestrial, nocturnal and crepuscular, gleens and scratches in litter.
Season Oct-Jun. Solitary breeder, females sequentially polyandrous. Nest in shallow depression on ground under grass tussock. Usually 4 eggs, incubation 14 days. Incubation nad chick care by male alone. NoT. Still common in remaining habitat except Australia.