The
painted buttonquail (
Turnix varius) is a species of
buttonquail, the family Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the
quails of
Phasianidae. The painted buttonquail is native to Australia. Its range extends from Queensland southwards to New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania. A separate population is present in the southwestern part of Western Australia. The subspecies
T. v. scintillans is endemic to the
Houtman Abrolhos, a chain of islands off the west coast of Australia. This painted buttonquail was photographed in the
Castlereagh Nature Reserve near Sydney, New South Wales.
Photograph credit: John Harrison