Gamebirds

Status

Resident, endemic to India

Range

The peninsula, mainly the drier rocky country of the Deccan and central India

Habitat

Rocky scrub, boulder-strewn hillsides and dry deciduous forest

IUCN

Least Concern

The male is one of the most finely marked birds in India — spangled white on a black head, chestnut and white spotting over the body, and a pale bill. Skulking and much more often heard than seen; a bird that has walked out onto open rock is a piece of luck rather than fieldcraft.

FM0002

Dec 2020 · 480mm · 1/1000 · f/7.1 · ISO 800Uma Maheswaram, Nagarkurnool, Telangana

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Status

Resident, endemic to peninsular India

Range

Western and central India, particularly the Western Ghats, extending patchily east

Habitat

Forest and forest edge, from moist evergreen to dry scrub jungle

IUCN

Least Concern

The male is the wild ancestor of one strand of the domestic chicken, with a spangled black-and-gold neck, a red comb and wattles, and long dark sickle tail feathers. The female is far plainer — barred brown and buff, with a short dark tail and none of the male's colour, and can be mistaken at a glance for a nondescript gamebird if the male isn't nearby for comparison.

FM0217←→

Feb 2020Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, Ernakulam, KeralaMale feeding on scattered grain, wings dropped low, tail streaming out behind.

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Status

Resident, endemic to the Indian subcontinent

Range

Patchy across peninsular India in two disjunct populations — the Deccan plateau and adjoining hill country, and a separate population in the Gangetic lowlands further north

Habitat

Tall grassland, scrub and grass-and-bush country, often at the edge of cultivation

IUCN

Near Threatened

The male is boldly spangled black-and-white over the body with a chestnut-orange head and orange-red legs and bare skin around the eye — smaller and more finely marked than Black Francolin, whose male is solid black-fronted with a white cheek patch. The female is duller and more streaked, harder to separate from other female francolins on looks alone; range and habitat do most of the work.

FM0192

Jan 2022Bidar, Bidar, KarnatakaWalking through dry grass at first light, spangled black-and-white plumage lit warm.

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Status

Resident

Range

Widespread across India below the Himalaya

Habitat

Scrub, dry grassland, cultivation edges and open forest floor with ground cover

IUCN

Least Concern

A small, round-bodied quail, boldly barred black-and-white below with a rufous crown and throat. Close in size and shape to Painted Bush-Quail, but that species has a plainer, more spotted (rather than sharply barred) underside and lacks the rufous throat patch — range and habitat also help, since Painted Bush-Quail favours rockier, hillier ground. Usually found in small coveys, flushing low and fast when disturbed.

FM0223←→

Oct 2021Masinagudi, The Nilgiris, Tamil NaduStanding at the edge of cultivation, barred black-and-white body and rufous throat lit warm.

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Status

Resident, endemic to India

Range

Hills of the Western Ghats and parts of central and eastern India

Habitat

Grassy hill slopes, scrub and forest edge, often near cultivation

IUCN

Least Concern

Small round quail with a bright red bill and red legs — the quickest way to separate it from the other bush-quails, which have dark bills. The male has a white face and throat bordered black; the female is plainer, warmer rufous below. Lives in coveys and is usually heard scuttling before it is seen.

FM0003←→

Oct 2019Western ghats, Kotagiri, The Nilgiris, Tamil NaduA covey of four together on a mossy log.

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