Lady Amherst's Pheasant vs Painted Francolin
Chrysolophus amherstiae compared with Francolinus pictus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Lady Amherst's Pheasant | Painted Francolin |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Chrysolophus amherstiae | Francolinus pictus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 40.8 cm (16.1 in) | 27.8 cm (10.9 in) |
| Weight | 738.25 g (26.04 oz) | 291.0 g (10.26 oz) |
| Diet | Omnivorous ground feeder; eats seeds, berries, plant shoots, invertebrates, and small animals in montane forests. | Eats seeds, grain, invertebrates, and plant material; forages in dry grass and scrubby areas of … |
| Clutch Size | 6-7 | 4-8 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Lady Amherst's Pheasant
Sharp, rasping 'chak-chak' call from Yunnan highland forest; very similar to Golden Pheasant but lower. Alarm is an explosive cackle. Males rarely call; wing clapping and ruff display primary.
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
Lady Amherst's Pheasant
Native to mountain forest in southwestern China (Yunnan, Sichuan) and adjacent Myanmar; introduced in Britain and scattered localities worldwide.
Painted Francolin
Endemic to India; resident of open scrub, dry grassland, and farmland across most of peninsular India.
Conservation Status
Lady Amherst's Pheasant
Painted Francolin
How to Tell Them Apart
Lady Amherst's Pheasant
Male with white and black barred ruff; white underparts; iridescent green mantle; crimson crest; elongated white tail barred black up to 1.5 m. Female mottled brown and rufous, similar to …
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
Lady Amherst's Pheasant
A brilliantly ornate Phasianidae pheasant (~738 g) from bamboo forest and scrub in southwestern China and adjacent Myanmar. Males sport a green and black head, white cape barred black, and an extremely long white tail. Omnivorous; forages on ground. Introduced to Britain; 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.