Based on anatomical studies, lark quail are more closely related to the genus Turnix than to shorebirds or galliform birds (Johnsgard, 1991), but may not actually be a turnicid (Madge and McGowan, 2002).
Lark quail have a low whistling call (Johnsgard, 1991) that sounds like air blown through a pipe (Madge and McGowan, 2002).
Communication Channels: acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
This bird's populations are not known to be in a threatened state (Madge and McGowan, 2002). They are not listed by either CITES or the IUCN.
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
There are no known adverse affects of lark quail on humans.
These birds may eat potentially damaging insects.
Positive Impacts: controls pest population
Lark quail have an impact on the prey and plant seeds they eat.
Lark quail eat grass seeds, termites and other insects. They can survive where water is scarce or not present because they can obtain sufficient moisture from some of their food, such as termites (Johnsgard, 1991).
Animal Foods: insects
Plant Foods: seeds, grains, and nuts
Primary Diet: omnivore
Lark quail range from Senegal east to central Sudan and northern Kenya. Some sitings have been reported in coastal areas as well.
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )
In general, these birds are adapted to dry habitats. They are found in arid to semi-arid grasslands, bushed grasslands, thin scrub, and acacia savanna. In Sudan and Chad they are found in sandy grasslands which have sandburs and needlegrass. In coastal regions of Gambia and Ghana, they are present only in the cool, dry season. They are found in other parts of their range during the wet season (Johnsgard, 1991). Lark quail may be found from 1200 to 2000 m in eastern Africa (Johnsgard, 1991; Madge and McGowan, 2002).
Range elevation: 1200 to 2000 m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; savanna or grassland
We do not have information on lifespan/longevity for this species at this time.
Average wing length for males and females is 73 and 77.8 mm, respectively. Male tail length averages 30.3 mm, the average for females is 34.8 mm. Tarsal length for males averages 18 mm, and females average 19 mm. Lark quail weigh 15.7 to 19.5 g (Johnsgard, 1991).
For the male, the uppermost parts of the head and nape region are rufous brown with feathers edged in a thin band of black then cream. Their face is cream with a golden buff tint, and an eye streak is present from the back of the eye to the side of the neck. The throat is white with feathers tipped in pale golden buff. The breast is golden buff with spotted rufous brown feathers with white-tipped edges. The lower abdomen is cream that becomes white on the flanks and underside of the tail. The back is mostly rufous brown with feathers edged with black and cream fringing. Black and cream streaking is present on the uppermost parts. The rump and upper tail are pale rufous brown with feathers tipped with buff. The outer tail is similar to the upper tail but with a dusky brown color on the outermost feathers tipped with white. Two to three transverse cream bars bordered in black are also present. The wing coverts grade from the primaries that are blackish to the tertials that are rufous brown with cream tips, transverse cream bars and black edging. Median coverts are cream to white. The beak is yellowish to pale green, and the feet and toes are whitish flesh to flesh or creamy yellow. The female is similar in color with a deeper rufous brown breast and the outermost tail feathers are dusky brown with more broad white fringing. Juvenile birds are similar in color to the adults, except there is more spotting above and more pale coloration overall (Johnsgard, 1991).
Range mass: 15.7 to 19.5 g.
Sexual Dimorphism: female larger; sexes colored or patterned differently
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
We do not have information on predation for this species at this time.
Polyandry is thought to be common amoung other members of this family, however, it is not evident in this species.
The breeding season is January, March and September to December in Senegambia, January in Sudan, and December to January in Kenya. Breeding occurs in March in Ethiopia and winter in Ghana (Johnsgard, 1991). When it is cool and dry, breeding occurs in inland and coastal regions (Madge and McGowan, 2002).
The nest is a shallow depression in firm sand and in light, open vegetation (Johnsgard, 1991; Madge and McGowan, 2002) and is sometimes encircled with small stones (Madge and McGowan, 2002). Two eggs are laid per clutch (Johnsgard, 1991; Madge and McGowan, 2002). Eggs are cream colored with black, brown and grey blotching (Madge and McGowan, 2002). The eggs measure around 17.5 by 14.5 mm and weigh 2 to 3 g (Johnsgard, 1991). Only the male incubates the eggs (Johnsgard, 1991; Madge and McGowan, 2002).
Breeding season: Breeding occurs at different times throughout the species' range.
Average eggs per season: 2.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous
Only the male incubates the eggs (Johnsgard, 1991; Madge and McGowan, 2002). We do not have information on post hatching parental care for this species, however, in other members of this family, males are responsible for the care of the chicks once they have hatched.
Parental Investment: no parental involvement; pre-hatching/birth (Protecting: Male)
The quail-plover, lark buttonquail or lark-plover (Ortyxelos meiffrenii) is a small ground-living bird in the buttonquail family Turnicidae that is found in the Sahel region of Africa and in a disjunct region of East Africa. It is the only species placed in the genus Ortyxelos.[2]
The quail-plover is a small, short-tailed cursorial bird which looks a little like a miniature courser when on the ground. The upperparts are a sandy-rufous colour and the underparts mainly whitish. They show a distinctive wing pattern in flight when the contrast between the white primary coverts and the black with white-tipped remiges to form a distinct diagonal band on the upperwing. Its fluttering flight style is rather lark-like. The females are slightly darker than the males while the juveniles are paler.[3]
The quail-plover occurs in Sahel from southern Mauritania and northern Senegal eastwards to northern Cameroon and southern Chad[3] into South Sudan and southern Sudan[1] with separate populations in northern Benin and coastal Ghana,[3] with another in Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia.[4]
The quail-plover is usually found singly or in pairs in dry grassland and thorn scrub. It is rather skulking preferring to move stealthily through grass but also running around like a courser in the open. Tends to crouch down and hide when approached and flushes only when the observer is almost on top of it and then flies off with a jerky undulating flight. It breeds during the dry season and moves north ahead of the rains[3] It tends to be more active at night and to call with a soft low whistle like the wind going through a pipe during moonlit nights.[5]
The quail-plover has an extremely large range, its population trend is not known, the population is not understood to be undergoing a sufficiently rapid decline to approach the thresholds under the population trend criterion while the population size has not been quantified so the species is evaluated as Least Concern.[4]
The quail-plover, lark buttonquail or lark-plover (Ortyxelos meiffrenii) is a small ground-living bird in the buttonquail family Turnicidae that is found in the Sahel region of Africa and in a disjunct region of East Africa. It is the only species placed in the genus Ortyxelos.
