Painted Bush Quail       Perdicula erythrorhyncha

Etymology: 

• Perdicula : Greek word for partridge derived from Perdix-  Partridge

• Erythrorhyncha : Greek word  eruthros – red; rhunkhos  –bill

• Blewitti: Named after Francis Robert Blewitt, Jr. (1815-1881) British civil servant in India, naturalist 

Vernacular Names: Hindi: Kokni lawwa, Santhali: Huker gundri, M.P: Sirsee lowwa, Ben: Huker, Ta: Kaadai, Te: Yelise, Mal: Mani kada, Mar: Rangit Lawa 

Sub Species :

1. Nominate – Western Ghats (West Maharashtra South to Kerala and Tamil Nadu)
2. e. blewitti– Central & East India from East Maharashtra through East Madhya Pradesh to Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha  { Smaller, paler, especially the more greyish-brown upperparts, as well as over breast of male and entire underparts of female; male also has broader white frontal band, less black on forehead and little, or no, black on chin} 

Distribution: 

1. Nominate – Western Ghats (West Maharashtra South to Kerala and Tamil Nadu)
2. e. blewitti– Central & East India from East Maharashtra through East Madhya Pradesh to Bihar, West Bengal, and Odisha 

Description : Size of  18 cm, wt. of 70–85 g; race blewitti  size of 16 cm, wt. of 50–70 g. The male has white supercilium & throat and Black chin and a black mask. The upperparts and flanks have black spotting. The legs and bill are red; yellowish-brown to hazel-brown eyes. The outermost primary equal to innermost. The female resembles male but for head pattern, appearing duller, with rufous forehead, supercilium and throat, and sometimes lacks black spotting on breast. The 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. The  juvenile female has blackish crown. The young are duller, more brownish red bill and legs. Race blewitti is smaller (wing 76–84 mm, versus 81–87 mm in nominate) and paler. It has more greyish-brown upperparts, as well as over breast of male and entire underparts of female; male also has broader white frontal band, less black on forehead and little, or no, black on chin.

Habitat: It is found in grassland and scrub, forest edge and cultivation. It is found from 600 m to 2000 m.

Food habits:  It eats seeds of grasses and weeds, grain, green plant matter, and termites and other insects. It occasionally feeds in open during early morning and late afternoon, and often forages in coveys of 6–15 individuals.

Breeding habits: They breed in Dec–Mar and Jul–Nov. they are monogamous. The nest is a  scrape, poorly concealed amidst cover of grass clump or bush and sometimes lined with grass. They lay a clutch of 4–7 eggs. The incubation period is 16–18 day done by female alone. The male helps tend chicks. The young are capable of short flights even when very small.