Painted Spurfowl
Encyclopedia
The Painted Spurfowl is a bird of the pheasant
family found in rocky hill and scrub forests mainly in peninsular India
. Males are more brightly coloured and spotted boldly in white. Males have two to four spurs while females can have one or two of th spurs on their tarsus. The species is found mainly in rocky and scrub forest habitats unlike the Red Spurfowl
. They are found in the undergrowth in pairs or small groups, escaping by running and rarely taking to the wing when flushed.
.
and Lantana camara
) as well as insects and flowers (Madhuca longifolia
); and visit waterholes in the early morning. The breeding season is January to June (mainly February, but chicks have been seen in August, after the rains, in parts of Rajasthan). Courtship involves the male offering food held in the bill to the hen. Spurfowl are as a genus thought to be monogamous. The nest is a scrape in the ground lined with leaves often located below a boulder. The clutch is three to four, rarely five, pale creamy eggs. Only the female incubates, but both parents take care of the chicks. They will use distraction display
s to lead predators away from the chicks.
Phasianidae
The Phasianidae is a family of birds which consists of the pheasants and partridges, including the junglefowl , Old World Quail, francolins, monals and peafowl. The family is a large one, and is occasionally broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae, and the Perdicinae...
family found in rocky hill and scrub forests mainly in peninsular India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Males are more brightly coloured and spotted boldly in white. Males have two to four spurs while females can have one or two of th spurs on their tarsus. The species is found mainly in rocky and scrub forest habitats unlike the Red Spurfowl
Red Spurfowl
The Red Spurfowl is a member of the pheasant family and is endemic to India. It is a bird of forests, and is quite secretive despite its size. It has a distinctive call and is often hard to see except for a few seconds when it flushes from the undergrowth. It appears reddish and like a long-tailed...
. They are found in the undergrowth in pairs or small groups, escaping by running and rarely taking to the wing when flushed.
Description
This spurfowl is distinctive in having no bare facial skin as in the Red Spurfowl. The male has a black tail and ochre underparts that contrast with the darker upperparts. The plumage of the upper parts and the feathers have white spots edged with black. The head and neck of the male are black with a green sheen and finely spotted in white while the mantle, rump and wing coverts are chestnut. The female is much duller with a rufous brow and ear coverts. The throat is pale and spotted as in the male but the female lacks white spotting on the body. The bill and legs are dark grey, with two to four tarsal spurs on the male. Females can also have one or two spurs. The tail is sometimes carried upright.Distribution and habitat
The Painted Spurfowl is found in some parts of the Aravalli ranges in Rajasthan, the hills of central India (Pachmarhi) and the rocky hills and dry forest areas of southern India. They have also been recorded in the Nallamalai region in the Andhra Pradesh eastern Ghats. The habitat is drier than that of the Red Spurfowl. In parts of southern India, they are found in rocky hills with scrub slopes, a habitat that is also used by the Yellow-throated BulbulYellow-throated Bulbul
The Yellow-throated Bulbul is a species of bulbul endemic to southern peninsular India. They are found on scrub habitats on steep, rocky hills many of which are threatened by granite quarrying. It is confusable only with the White-browed Bulbul with which its range overlaps but is distinctively...
.
Behaviour and ecology
The Painted Spurfowl is found in pairs or small family parties of up to 6 individuals and tends to stay in the undergrowth, rarely taking to flight. The call is a loud repeated series of chuguk calls. They feed on berries (including Ziziphus oenopliaZiziphus oenoplia
Ziziphus oenoplia , commonly known as the Jackal Jujube, Small-fruited Jujube or Wild Jujube, is a flowering plant with a broad distribution through tropical and subtropical Asia and Australasia.-Description:...
and Lantana camara
Lantana camara
Lantana camara, also known as Spanish Flag or West Indian Lantana, is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that is native to the American tropics. It has been introduced into other parts of the world as an ornamental plant and is considered an invasive species in many...
) as well as insects and flowers (Madhuca longifolia
Madhuca longifolia
Madhuca longifolia, commonly known as mahwa or mahua, is an Indian tropical tree found largely in the central and north Indian plains and forests. It is a fast-growing tree that grows to approximately 20 meters in height, possesses evergreen or semi-evergreen foliage, and belongs to the family...
); and visit waterholes in the early morning. The breeding season is January to June (mainly February, but chicks have been seen in August, after the rains, in parts of Rajasthan). Courtship involves the male offering food held in the bill to the hen. Spurfowl are as a genus thought to be monogamous. The nest is a scrape in the ground lined with leaves often located below a boulder. The clutch is three to four, rarely five, pale creamy eggs. Only the female incubates, but both parents take care of the chicks. They will use distraction display
Distraction display
Distraction displays, also known as deflection display, diversionary display or paratrepsis, are anti-predator behaviours used to attract the attention of an enemy away from an object, typically the nest or young, that is being protected. They are particularly well known in birds but noted also in...
s to lead predators away from the chicks.