What is "buttonquail"

n. Any of several species of small terrestrial birds, principally in the genus ''Turnix'' of the family Turnicidae.

Buttonquail or hemipodes are members of a small family of birds, Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae. They inhabit warm grasslands in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia. There are 16 species in two genera, with most species being found in the genus Turnix and only one being found in the genus Ortyxelos.

Buttonquails are small, drab, running birds, which avoid flying. The female is the brighter coloured of the sexes, and initiates courtship. Buttonquails are polyandrous, with the males circulating among several females and expelling rival males from his territory. Both sexes cooperate in building a nest in the earth, but only the female incubates the eggs and tends the young. The eggs hatch after an incubation period of 12 or 21 days, and the young are able to fly within two weeks of hatching.