Male button quail question...

[spiffyvanspot]

Hey!

It's been so long since I've been on here! In September one of my button quail pairs hatched out a single baby (the others pipped and died ). In short, they were terrible parents and I ended up raising him. I'm pretty sure he is as tame as a button quail can be and I love him to death!! Such a smart little guy - we named him Pumpkin, as his parents are named Cinnamon and Spice.

Anyway, I've noticed a strange behaviour with all my males, more commonly in Pumpkin. They lay really flat with their wings spread and their head to the side. They make this really adorable and fast cheeping I call a "twinkling" kind of sound. Pumpkin does it often, mostly when I am reach in to get him. My other males do it randomly. I have never witnessed a female do it. Is it a submissive behaviour? An attention-seeking behaviour? I have never heard about this before in all of my quail research (which has been A LOT)! I was hoping someone on here could give me some insights.

Thanks!!
P.S. - I've attached some photos of my baby Pumpkin.

 

[007Sean]

Sorry I can't offer any insight to what it means, I've never seen nor heard mine doing that....can you get a video of him doing it?
Interesting!

 

[Button And Bongo]

I have one of my females do it..
I call it broody behavior she does it when she's laying eggs and decides she thinks she'll be a parent. But other then that, it could be submissive behavior I think, especially from a male.

 

[JaeG]

I have very occasionally seen males do this. I'm not sure why they do but it does look cute.

Pumpkin is adorable! Well done for raising a single baby. They are demanding little things (but so cute).

 

[Quincy Buttons]

Oh man Pumpkin looks so cute! I've got a button named Quincy with the same colors. I'm really fascinated by that cozy picture of him haha I can't get Quincy to settle down for more than a few seconds! Do you have any tips on getting buttons to be more friendly? My button acts like a giddy but angsty teenager all the time despite being 4.5 years old and I feel like I should bond with the old guy more