SUMMARYBENNETT, S.C. 1985. The distribution and status of the Black-breasted Button-quailTurnix melanogaster(Gould, 1837). Emu: 157–162.Most reports of the Black-breasted Button-quail lie in the area between Rockhampton and far north-eastern New South Wales. The decline of the species since European settlement is attributed to the clearing of rainforests, especially‘Bottletree Scrubs’. Black-breasted Button-quail now have a limited and patchy distribution.