Painted bush-quail

Perdicula erythrorhyncha

Photo by P.J. Vasanthan (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
painted bush-quail (en); perdiz-do-mato-pintada (pt); perdicule à bec rouge (fr); perdicilla piquirroja (es); buntwachtel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Galliformes
Family Phasianidae

Range:
This species is endemic to India, occurring in two disjunct subspecies. P.e.blewitti is found
from the Satpuras to the northern Eastern Ghats, while P.e.erythrorhyncha in found in the Western Ghats, the Nilgiris and other areas of southern India such as Biligirirangans and Shevaroys.

Size:
These birds are 17-18 cm long and weigh 50-65 g.

Habitat:
The painted bush-quail is found in dry tropical scrublands and grasslands, as well as in arable land, at altitudes of 600-2.000 m.

Diet:
They feed on the ground eating the seeds of various grasses and scrubs.

Breeding:
The painted bush-quail breeds in December-March and again in August-October. The nest is a shallow scrape on the ground, under a scrub or rock, where the female lays 4-7 pale-buff eggs. The female incubates the eggs alone for 16-18 days and the chicks leave the nest soon after hatching. The follow the mother and rely on her protection.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as locally common over most of this range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.