Malay Partridge vs Painted Francolin
Arborophila campbelli compared with Francolinus pictus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Malay Partridge | Painted Francolin |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Arborophila campbelli | Francolinus pictus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 25.9 cm (10.2 in) | 27.8 cm (10.9 in) |
| Weight | 312.0 g (11.01 oz) | 291.0 g (10.26 oz) |
| Diet | Eats seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits on floor of Peninsular Malaysian hill forests. Scratches leaf … | Eats seeds, grain, invertebrates, and plant material; forages in dry grass and scrubby areas of … |
| Clutch Size | 4 | 4-8 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Malay Partridge
Loud, slightly hollow 'hoo-WEE-hoo' call repeated steadily; pure whistled quality from Peninsular Malaysia understorey. Alarm is an abrupt clucking burst; contact notes are soft and low.
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
Malay Partridge
Endemic to the Thai-Malay Peninsula in southern Thailand and Malaysia. Found in lowland and foothill forest below 900 m.
Painted Francolin
Endemic to India; resident of open scrub, dry grassland, and farmland across most of peninsular India.
Conservation Status
Malay Partridge
Painted Francolin
How to Tell Them Apart
Malay Partridge
Brown above with dark streaking; throat and face pale buff with dark-scaled feathers; breast grey; flanks grey with white streaks; bare reddish eye-ring; generally paler faced than many congeners.
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
Malay Partridge
A medium-sized partridge (~310 g) of family Phasianidae, with brownish plumage and white-streaked flanks. Endemic to the mountains of the Malay Peninsula in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Inhabits montane forests above 600 m elevation. Forages on the forest floor for seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern; restricted highland species but not threatened in its remaining montane habitat.
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.