Cheer Pheasant vs Painted Francolin
Catreus wallichii compared with Francolinus pictus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Cheer Pheasant | Painted Francolin |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Catreus wallichii | Francolinus pictus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 48.9 cm (19.3 in) | 27.8 cm (10.9 in) |
| Weight | 1327.5 g (46.83 oz) | 291.0 g (10.26 oz) |
| Diet | Scratches for seeds, tubers, roots, and invertebrates on steep Himalayan hillsides; also takes berries and … | Eats seeds, grain, invertebrates, and plant material; forages in dry grass and scrubby areas of … |
| Clutch Size | 9-14 | 4-8 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Cheer Pheasant
Loud, far-carrying 'cheer-cheer-chirwa-chirwa' calls; responsible for common name. Himalayan species with ringing, slightly laughing quality to call. Alarm is a rapid harsh cackle from rocky slopes.
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
Cheer Pheasant
Endemic to rocky hillside scrub and grass-covered slopes in the western Himalayas, from Pakistan east through India to Nepal, at 1,200–3,000 m.
Painted Francolin
Endemic to India; resident of open scrub, dry grassland, and farmland across most of peninsular India.
Conservation Status
Cheer Pheasant
Painted Francolin
How to Tell Them Apart
Cheer Pheasant
Pale grey-brown overall with dense dark brown vermiculations; buff-white underparts streaked brown; long pale grey tail narrowly barred brown; red facial skin; grey crest. Sexes alike but female smaller.
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
Cheer Pheasant
A large Phasianidae pheasant (~1.33 kg) of grassy hillside scrub and forest margins in the western Himalayas. Both sexes are boldly barred grey-brown; the male has a long, finely barred tail. Diet encompasses grass shoots, roots, and invertebrates. Vulnerable from habitat loss and human disturbance.
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.