Philby's Partridge vs Painted Francolin
Alectoris philbyi compared with Francolinus pictus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Philby's Partridge | Painted Francolin |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Alectoris philbyi | Francolinus pictus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 32.2 cm (12.7 in) | 27.8 cm (10.9 in) |
| Weight | 441.0 g (15.56 oz) | 291.0 g (10.26 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds on seeds, shoots, berries, and invertebrates in rocky terrain of the Arabian Peninsula. | Eats seeds, grain, invertebrates, and plant material; forages in dry grass and scrubby areas of … |
| Clutch Size | 8-10 | 4-8 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Philby's Partridge
Loud 'chuck-chukAR' calls from SW Arabian Peninsula lava fields; similar to Chukar but slightly lower. Alarm is rapid cackling rattle. Calls from rocky lava terrain at dawn. Pairs often call …
Painted Francolin
Loud, insistent 'ka-TURR-ka' calls from Indian scrub; similar to Black Francolin but slightly higher and less grating. Alarm is rapid cackling cackle. Males call from termite mound or rock at …
Geographic Range & Migration
Philby's Partridge
Endemic to the mountains of southwestern Saudi Arabia and northwestern Yemen (Asir and Hijaz escarpments), at 1,500–3,000 m.
Painted Francolin
Endemic to India; resident of open scrub, dry grassland, and farmland across most of peninsular India.
Conservation Status
Philby's Partridge
Painted Francolin
How to Tell Them Apart
Philby's Partridge
Differs from other Alectoris: black face and throat contrasting with white supercilium; grey-brown upperparts; bold chestnut and white barred flanks; red bill and legs; grey breast. Endemic to SW Arabian …
Painted Francolin
Richly patterned; black above with large white spots; rufous-orange face and throat; white-spotted black flanks; rufous-chestnut underparts with black shaft streaks. Female lacks rufous on face; duller below.
About These Birds
Philby's Partridge
A medium Phasianidae partridge (~441 g) of barren lava plateaux and rocky escarpments in southwestern Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Grey-brown with a distinctive black forehead stripe and white-spotted flanks. Adapted to extreme aridity. Feeds on dry seeds and invertebrates. Rarely studied; Least Concern.
Painted Francolin
A small Phasianidae francolin (~291 g) of rocky hillsides, scrub, and dry grassland across peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Both sexes are intricately spotted and streaked in rufous and white. Shy; detected by resonant calls. Feeds on seeds and invertebrates on the ground. Least Concern; common locally.