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Common Buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus)

Articles about the Andalusian Buttonquail (or Andalusian Hemipode), the nominate subspecies of the Common Buttonquail endemic to the western Mediterranean.

Andalusian Buttonquail observed in Algeria

Andalusian Buttonquail / Turnix d’Andalousie (Turnix sylvaticus sylvaticus), north-east Algeria, 29 Nov. 2019 (Moussa Houache).

The Andalusian Buttonquail observed in Algeria for the first time after almost three decades without confirmed sightings. Le Turnix d’Andalousie observé en Algérie pour la première fois après une absence d’observations vérifiées pendant près de trois décennies. The Andalusian Buttonquail – affectionately known in Europe as Andalusian Hemipode – is the Mediterranean endemic subspecies of […]

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Andalusian Buttonquail in Morocco is declining

Andalusian Buttonquail / Turnix d’Andalousie (Turnix sylvaticus sylvaticus): an adult female at Sidi Abed, Morocco, 12 June 2010 (Carlos Gutiérrez-Expósito)

The last known Andalusian Buttonquail population is declining and its suitable habitats are shrinking according to a study published recently in Global Ecology and Conservation. The Common Buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus) is widely distributed in Africa and South Asia and is currently categorized as ‘Least Concern’ in the IUCN Red List. However, the nominate subspecies –

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Andalusian Buttonquail declared extinct in Spain

Andalusian Buttonquail / Turnix d'Andalousie (Turnix sylvaticus sylvaticus), Doukkala region, Morocco, June 2014 (Carlos Gutiérrez Expósito).

The Spanish Government officially declared the Andalusian Buttonquail as extinct in Spain. This is the first bird species to go extinct in Europe since the extinction of the Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis) almost 170 years ago. There are, however, some differences between the two extinctions. The Great Auk is lost forever, whereas the Andalusian Buttonquail

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Andalusian Buttonquail in Morocco and the Western Palearctic

Andalusian Buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus sylvaticus), south of Sidi Abed, September 2007 (Benoît Maire)

The Andalusian Buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus sylvaticus) became almost extinct throughout its Mediterranean range except in Morocco where there have been more or less regular observations until 1988. Since that date, however, the species went undetected until 2000. Since the beginning of the new millennium, new sightings (including the first-ever photograph of a living wild bird

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