Red Spurfowl
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| Red Spurfowl | ||||||||||||||
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| Galloperdix spadicea (Gmelin, 1789) |
The Red Spurfowl', Galloperdix spadicea, is a member of the pheasant family which is endemic to India.
It is a bird of dry forests and cultivation, which is a quite secretive bird, and despite its size is difficult to see as it slips through the undergrowth. Often the first indication of its presence is its distinctive call.
This spurfowl is one of three species of bird in the genus Galloperdix. It is a ground nesting bird, which lays 3-5 eggs in a scrape.
Red Spurfowl is a plump, 36 cm long bird. Both sexes have a red facial skin patch and red legs.
The adult male has has a grey head and neck, with most of the rest of the plumage rufous in colour with white scaling. The female has a grey head, and brown upperparts mottled with black. The underparts are rufous with dark barring. The male of the distinctive Kerala race, G. s. stewarti has all-chestnut plumage, including the head feathers.
Like most of the pheasant family, Red Spurfowl is a terrestrial species. It scratches vigorously amongst the leaf litter of the forest floor for various seeds, fallen fruit and insects.
References
- Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6