Perdicula erythrorhyncha
The Painted Bush Quail (Perdicula erythrorhyncha) is a strikingly beautiful and elusive gamebird, endemic to peninsular India. Measuring 17-20 cm in length, it is distinguished by its vibrant, deep coral-red bill and legs, particularly prominent in males. Males also feature a rich chestnut face framed by a conspicuous white supercilium and a white throat patch bordered in black, contrasting with their rufous-brown, finely barred, and mottled body plumage. Females are similar but generally dul...
Found in dry deciduous forests, dense scrubland, thorny bush country, and grassland edges, often near cultivation. Prefers areas with thick undergrowth for cover, from plains up to elevations of approximately 1800-2000 meters.
Primarily granivorous, feeding on small seeds from various grasses and herbaceous plants, supplemented with shoots, berries, and a significant proportion of insects such as termites, ants, and small beetles.
Painted Bush Quails are typically crepuscular and diurnal, foraging actively during dawn and dusk, and roosting communally on the ground or in low vegetation. They are primarily ground-foragers, meticulously scratching through leaf litter and debris in search of food. These quails are highly soci...
The Painted Bush Quail is endemic to peninsular India, with its distribution stretching from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in the north, extending southwards through the Western and Eastern Ghats mountain ranges, down to the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Its range encompasses a variety...
Least Concern
- The Painted Bush Quail is one of the few bird species known for its strikingly vivid red bill and legs, a feature that distinguishes it immediately from other quails in its range. - It is entirely endemic to peninsular India, found nowhere else in the world, making it a special target for birde...