The Red-backed Buttonquail is a small ground bird marked by a rufous collar and a pale wing panel. Females are larger and more brightly colored than males.
It has a grayish back mottled and barred with rufous, a pale wing panel spotted with black, and a rufous collar. Females are larger, with a broader, brighter collar.
It forages for seeds and insects on the ground and is mainly active at night, at dawn, and at dusk. When disturbed it often freezes in cover rather than flushing; the male appears to incubate and care for the young.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.