The painted spurfowl (Galloperdix lunulata) belongs to the family of pheasants, Phasianidae. The painted spurfowl are found in the peninsular India. They occur in the rocky terrains and dry scrub forests in the hills of central India, Rajastan and southern India.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has evaluated the painted spurfowl species as of "Least Concern".
The G. lunulata are small birds and may reach up to 35 cm. in length and weigh 225 to 300 grams. The male spurfowl are slightly larger than the females, a characteristic of the family Phasianidae. The male spurfowl have two to four spurs on their tarsus and females have one or two of the spurs.
The male birds are colorful, the tail being black and the back being dark brown. The plumage and feathers of G. lunulata have white spotting. The female spurfowl are dull in color with sparse spotting.
The Indian G. lunulata inhabit dry scrub jungles in rocky, hilly terrain. They are seen in pairs or as small groups in the undergrowth. They feed on berries, seeds, tubers, drupes, small mollusks, insects and flowers. These birds are monogamous. The female incubates the eggs and both the parents take care of the chicks.
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| Indian bird - Painted spurfowl - Galloperdix lunulata |
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| Sumeet Moghe | CC BY-SA 4.0 as on 6/1/18 |
| Biological classification of G. lunulata | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Subfamily: | Perdicinae |
| Genus: | Galloperdix |
| Species: | G. lunulata |
| Binomial name: | Galloperdix lunulata |
| Distribution: | southern India; central India; |
| Feeding habits: | seeds, berries, fruits, insects and flowers; |
| IUCN status listing: | Least Concern |
Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PaintedSpurfowlMF2crop.jpg
Author: L. Shyamal | License: Cc-by-sa-3.0
Current topic in Birds of India: Painted spurfowl - Galloperdix lunulata.