The Secret Lives of
Buttonquails
Objectives
Identify ecological pressures and threats, particularly predation linked to human settlements.
Investigate the reproductive biology, movement ecology, and sex roles of the Madagascar Buttonquail.
Lay the foundation for protecting key inland habitats through scientific evidence and community engagement.
Evaluate the potential of the buttonquail as an ecological indicator and umbrella species in the spiny forest ecosystem.
Standardize field protocols for capturing, aging, sexing, and monitoring buttonquail individuals across life stages.
Madagascar Buttonquail Survey sites
Endangered animal and plant species are highlighted within the colored areas, which represent the survey sites where annual demographic monitoring of the Madagascar Buttonquail is conducted.
Current Progress
Over 185 individuals photographed for plumage dichromatism studies.
Identified and monitored 275 nests, with detailed nest fate classification.
1776 adults captured and monitored so far.
Collected 1477 blood samples for sexing and genetic studies.
3600 hours of recorded reproductive behaviour
