Perdicula asiatica
The Jungle Bush Quail (*Perdicula asiatica*) is a small, stout, and highly cryptic gamebird, typically measuring 15-18 cm in length and weighing 50-80 grams. Males are distinctly marked with a prominent rufous supercilium, a pale white throat often bordered by a dark band or stripes, and chestnut flanks barred with white, contrasting with speckled underparts. Females, while sharing the cryptic brownish-grey upperparts with fine barring, are generally duller with less defined facial markings a...
Found primarily in dry scrublands, sparse open forests, thorny bush country, and edges of cultivated fields, typically at lower elevations up to 1,200 meters.
Their diet consists mainly of small seeds, particularly from grasses and weeds, cultivated grains, supplemented by a variety of small invertebrates such as ants, termites, and grubs, which they glean and scratch from the ground.
Jungle Bush Quails are primarily diurnal, exhibiting crepuscular activity, and roost collectively in dense ground cover. They forage by scratching vigorously in leaf litter and soft soil, primarily for seeds and insects, often in small, tight-knit coveys of 6-12 individuals. Males are known to be...
The Jungle Bush Quail is a widespread resident breeder across the Indian Subcontinent, encompassing a significant portion of India, parts of Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Its distribution covers peninsular India, extending northwards into the foothills of the Himalayas, and eastwards into parts of Bangla...
Least Concern
- Despite their name, they prefer dry, open scrublands rather than dense jungle. - They are masters of camouflage, their cryptic plumage making them almost invisible on the ground. - When flushed, a covey will burst into explosive, whirring flight, often startling an unsuspecting observer. - Thei...