Mountain Bamboo-partridge vs Painted Francolin
Bambusicola fytchii compared with Francolinus pictus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Mountain Bamboo-partridge | Painted Francolin |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Bambusicola fytchii | Francolinus pictus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 28.6 cm (11.3 in) | 27.8 cm (10.9 in) |
| Weight | 318.5 g (11.23 oz) | 291.0 g (10.26 oz) |
| Diet | Eats seeds, berries, invertebrates, and plant material in bamboo forest and scrub of northeastern India … | Eats seeds, grain, invertebrates, and plant material; forages in dry grass and scrubby areas of … |
| Clutch Size | 3-8 | 4-8 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Mountain Bamboo-partridge
Loud, explosive 'chi-fu-fu' or 'pink-pink-pink' calls from NE Indian bamboo forest; noisy, far-carrying. Alarm is rapid cackling rattle. Contact calls between flock members are soft clucks.
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
Mountain Bamboo-partridge
Resident of secondary scrub, bamboo, and forest edge from northeastern India (Manipur) east through Myanmar to southern China and Indochina.
Painted Francolin
Endemic to India; resident of open scrub, dry grassland, and farmland across most of peninsular India.
Conservation Status
Mountain Bamboo-partridge
Painted Francolin
How to Tell Them Apart
Mountain Bamboo-partridge
Chestnut-brown upperparts with grey crown; white supercilium; black-spotted rufous-orange flanks and breast; white belly; rufous tail. Sexes similar; male with small tarsal spur. Endemic to South and Southeast Asia.
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
Mountain Bamboo-partridge
A small Phasianidae partridge (~319 g) of hill and montane bamboo forest and scrub from northeastern India through Myanmar to southern China. Highly vocal; utters loud, repetitive calls. Lives in pairs or small groups; feeds on seeds, bamboo shoots, and invertebrates. Least Concern; adaptable to edge habitats.
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.