Turnicidae – Buttonquails

One of the few bird families that have only three toes as the hind toe is missing

Brown birds with short, narrow beaks, short, rounded wings, and short tails that look like quail. Their feet only have three toes, with the hind toe missing. They are terrestrial and nocturnal, living in grassland and open forests and feeding on seeds and insects. They also lay their eggs on the ground.

This family may be found across the Old World, from southern Europe and Africa to Australia and the Solomon Islands.

They live in low grassy or brushy environments such as forest or forest clearings, secondary growth, woodland, savanna, and grassland in warmer, drier portions of the planet, from the tropics and subtropics to the temperate zones.