Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00858:body:0:p13
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00858
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 34429–37300

or grass tussock (Marchant & Higgins 1993). It is not known which sex builds the nest.

Between three and five eggs are laid (Marchant & Higgins 1993). The incubation period in the wild is 18–21 days. The female can lay two clutches of eggs 8–10 days apart. Females usually produce 3 to 4 young per clutch, which are incubated and tended solely by the male (Marchant & Higgins 1993). Generational length is estimated at 3.2 years (range 3.0–3.4 years) with high reliability (Bird et al. 2020).

Black-breasted Button-quail nest at Yarramen © Copyright, Patrick Webster

Communication

All Black-breasted Button-quail have calls that can be grouped into three categories: 1) advertising "oom", 2) drumming, and 3) contact clucks (Hughes & Hughes 1991). Of the advertising oom each note is comprised of a series of rapidly repeated elements giving the note a tremulous quality.

This call type is only given by the females and is thought to be related to territorial and breeding activities (Hughes & Hughes 1991). The drum is a series of deep short rapidly repeated notes given in quick succession often referred to as the motorboat or motorbike call. This vocalisation has only been recorded from the female and is likely related to breeding and territorial activities (Hughes & Hughes 1991). Both sexes give a great diversity of soft clucks, trills and whistles (del Hoyo et al. 1992). The role of these calls is undetermined but are likely short-range communications.

Movement patterns

Female Black-breasted Button-quail are territorial, establishing territories between two and 10 hectares. Birds are commonly seen in pairs or small groups, some of which may be families, though females are occasionally seen singly (Hughes & Hughes 1991; Marchant & Higgins 1993). The dispersal patterns of this species are poorly understood. They are generally considered to be sedentary, although birds can appear intermittently in some patches of good habitat, or as transients in habitats not considered core to the species (Marchant & Higgins 1993; Smith et al. 1998; Lees & Smith 2000; Smyth et al. 2001).

Black-breasted Button-quail are elusive, well-camouflaged and rely on stealth to avoid danger. Birds become immobilised to avoid predation (Marchant & Higgins 1993). They are very reluctant to flush preferring to run when pursued, only taking flight as a last resort.

Habitat critical to the survival

Habitat critical to the survival or important habitats of a species or ecological community refers to areas that are necessary:

   * for activities such as foraging, breeding, roosting, or dispersal;
   * for the long-term maintenance of the species or ecological community (including the maintenance of species essential to the survival of the species or ecological community, such as pollinators);
   * to maintain genetic diversity and long-term evolutionary