Painted Spurfowl       Galloperdix lunulata 

Etymology:

• Galloperdix : Latin word  gallus- farmyard cock;  perdix-partridge

• Lunulata : Latin word for crescent-shaped derived from luna –moon

Vernacular name : Gond: Hutkah, Ori: Askal, Kainjer, Ta: Kalkodi, Te: Jitta kodi, Mal: Pulli mullan kozhi, Hindi: Askal Murg, Mar: Rangit Chakotri

Distribution in India:  Widespread across Central and Peninsular India

Description:  Size of 27–34 cm; wt. of male 255–285 g, wt. of female 226–255 g. The male is unmistakable with densely white-spotted plumage, greenish-black head, breast, scapulars, wings and tail, and chestnut patches on mantle, wing-coverts, rump and rear flanks. The female has rufous or chestnut face, yellowish-buff throat and ochraceous-brown breast. The iris is brown, bill is brown and legs are brownish grey to dark grey. The juvenile male is duller than adult female with black-barred upperparts, blackish-spotted breast and is more buff-freckled over rest of underparts.

Habitat: It is found in thorn scrub and bamboo jungle in dry areas. It is found below 1000 m.

Food Habits:  It eats seeds, tubers, drupes  and berries , small land molluscs and insects, and termites. It is usually observed in pairs.

Breeding Habits: They breed in Jan–Aug. The nest is a scrape, lined with leaves and grass, under a rock or a root, or on dry bamboo leaves within a clump. They lay a clutch of 3–4 eggs. The incubation is done by female alone, but both parents tend the young.