Painted Francolin vs Red Grouse
Francolinus pictus compared with Lagopus scotica
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Painted Francolin | Red Grouse |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Francolinus pictus | Lagopus scotica |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Not Evaluated |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 27.8 cm (10.9 in) | — |
| Weight | 291.0 g (10.26 oz) | 583.125 g (20.57 oz) |
| Diet | Eats seeds, grain, invertebrates, and plant material; forages in dry grass and scrubby areas of … | Highly dependent on heather shoots and flowers year-round; also eats berries, seeds, and insects in … |
| Clutch Size | 4-8 | 6-9 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
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 …
Red Grouse
Distinctive 'go-back, go-back' cackle; male territorial call loud and raspy on Scottish heather moor. Alarm is explosive 'kek-kek'. Male gives hoarse crowing display calls.
Geographic Range & Migration
Painted Francolin
Endemic to India; resident of open scrub, dry grassland, and farmland across most of peninsular India.
Red Grouse
Endemic to heather moorlands of Scotland, northern England, and Ireland. Resident year-round. Often treated as a subspecies of Willow Grouse.
Conservation Status
Painted Francolin
Red Grouse
How to Tell Them Apart
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.
Red Grouse
Does not turn white in winter; male is rich chestnut-brown with red eye-comb; finely barred darker on back; belly dark brown; legs feathered white. Female paler and more finely barred …
About These Birds
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.
Red Grouse
A medium-sized grouse (~585 g) of family Phasianidae, endemic to the British Isles with rich chestnut-red plumage and red eyebrows. Inhabits open heather moorlands across Scotland, northern England, Wales, and Ireland. Feeds almost exclusively on heather shoots and berries. Not Evaluated as a distinct species by IUCN (often treated as subspecies of Willow Grouse); an iconic game bird of British uplands.