Painted Bush-Quail Perdicula erythrorhyncha Scientific name definitions

Nominate <em>erythrorhyncha</em> c. 18 cm, 70–85 g; race blewitti c. 16 cm, 50–70 g. Outermost primary equal to innermost, and upperparts brown with black spots , diagnostic in combination; bright red bill and legs, and yellowish-brown to hazel-brown eyes. Female resembles male but for head pattern, appearing duller, with rufous forehead, supercilium and throat, and sometimes lacks black spotting on breast. Juvenile male has less prominent head markings than adult female, with rufous on head appearing faint and mantle and breast are marked by indistinct whitish shaft-streaks; juvenile female has blackish crown; young have duller, more brownish red bill and legs. Race blewitti smaller (wing 76–84 mm, versus 81–87 mm in nominate) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and paler, especially the more greyish-brown upperparts, as well as over breast of male and entire underparts of female (2 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ); male also has broader white frontal band, less black on forehead and little, or no, black on chin (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Grassland and scrub, forest edge and cultivation; from 600 m to 2000 m.

No information available; probably sedentary. Moves out to feed in more open patches in morning and evening. Coveys tend to sit tight; when pressed, birds fly short distances in different directions.

Seeds of grasses and weeds, grain, green plant matter, and termites and other insects. Occasionally feeds in open during early morning and late afternoon, and often forages in coveys of 6–15 individuals.

Poorly known. Territorial call reported to be a repeated pleasant triple note “kirikee..kirikee...”, but a repeated single whistle “hweee..hweee..hwee..hwee..” has also been recorded. Contact calls comprise very soft, ventriloquial whistles that rise and then fall, uttered at a rate of one every few seconds. When flushed, apparently gives a short, squeaky whistle like Coturnix coturnix.

Season poorly defined and nests found in most months, varying according to locality, but perhaps mostly Dec–Mar and Jul–Nov (2 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ); chiefly Dec–Feb and Jul–Sept in Kerala, or Jan–Mar and Aug–Nov in Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Apparently monogamous. Nest scrape apparently poorly concealed amidst cover (grass clump or bush) and sometimes lined with grass. Lays 4–7 creamy-buff eggs (up to ten); incubation 16–18 days, by female alone, but male apparently helps tend chicks (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Young capable of short flights even when very small (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). No further information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Mace Lande: safe. Considered to be safe because of extensive range and also due to occurrence on margins of agricultural land and in forest-edge habitat. Virtually no information available on either relative abundance or trends, although apparent declines have been reported locally (3 Daniels, R.J.R., Joshi, N.V. and Gadgil, M. (1990). Changes in the bird fauna of Uttara Kannada, India, in relation to changes in land use over the past century. Biological Conservation. 52(1): 37–48. Close ); no specific threats identified to date.