The Luzon buttonquail (Turnix worcesteri) or Worcester's buttonquail, is a species of bird in the family Turnicidae. It is endemic to the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Its natural habitat is tropical high-altitude grassland. This is the most mysterious bird of Luzon as there has only been 1 sighting in 2009 of a trapped individual being sold for bushmeat.
| Luzon buttonquail | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Turnicidae |
| Genus: | Turnix |
| Species: | T. worcesteri
|
| Binomial name | |
| Turnix worcesteri McGregor, 1904
| |
Description and taxonomy
editEBird describes the bird as "A fairly small, rare, little-known ground bird from the highland grasslands of Luzon. Overall brown, heavily patterned with dark-centered feathers overlaid with pale buff streaking. Shows variable amounts of rufous on the underparts, more extensive in the female, and some white in the throat and belly. Occurs together with Barred and Spotted Buttonquails and Blue-breasted Quail, but Luzon is somewhat smaller than those, especially Spotted, and has a thick, silver bill."[2]
It is named after American manager and zoologist Dean Conant Worcester (1866-1924).
This species is monotypic but is sometimes considered conspecific with the Sumba buttonquail and the Common buttonquail it is distinguished from latter by plumage with a much blacker crown and dorsal feathers, much smaller size and, white chin and upper throat for females.
Ecology and behavior
editBarely anything is known about this bird. The stomach contents from a trapped bird contained insects.[3]
Habitat and conservation status
editIts precise habitat is unknown but is believe to be wet grassy areas. Only moder record from a bushmeat market in Dalton Pass in 2009. The Luzon buttonquail was known only from drawings and descriptions until January 2009 when a local birdwatching group, the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, took photos and recorded a video of a lone specimen at a public market in the Caraballo Mountains.[4] The bird from Nueva Vizcaya, northern Luzon, appeared in a news feature by documentary filmmaker Howie Severino, a member of the GMA Network.[5][6]
IUCN has assessed this bird as Data deficient but was formerly listed as Vulnerable. Despite just having 1 record, it is believed that it may be especialy cryptic and unobtrusive leading it to be under-recorded. Extensive research and study is required. However, it is likely that this species is threatened due to continued hunting and habitat conversion. [7]
References
edit- ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Turnix worcesteri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22680588A92866987. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22680588A92866987.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ "Luzon Buttonquail - eBird". ebird.org. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
- ^ Debus, Stephen; Kirwan, Guy M.; Sharpe, Christopher J. (2020). "Luzon Buttonquail (Turnix worcesteri), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.luzbut1.01species_shared.bow.project_name. ISSN 2771-3105.
- ^ "Rare endangered Philippines quail spotted – on way to cooking pot". Home>Earth>Wildlife. Telegraph.co.uk. 2009-02-17. Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
- ^ "Extinct bird, not seen for 100 years, photographed and eaten in The Philippines". Wildlife Extra. March 2009.
- ^ Blog post
- ^ IUCN (2021-09-23). Turnix worcesteri: BirdLife International: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T22680588A208195378 (Report). International Union for Conservation of Nature. doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2022-2.rlts.t22680588a208195378.en.
Bibliography
editMark Niel Maceda 2007