Painted Francolin vs Silver Pheasant
Francolinus pictus compared with Lophura nycthemera
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Painted Francolin | Silver Pheasant |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Francolinus pictus | Lophura nycthemera |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 27.8 cm (10.9 in) | 51.0 cm (20.1 in) |
| Weight | 291.0 g (10.26 oz) | 1345.0 g (47.44 oz) |
| Diet | Eats seeds, grain, invertebrates, and plant material; forages in dry grass and scrubby areas of … | Feeds on seeds, berries, roots, invertebrates, and small animals; scratches forest floor in SE Asian … |
| Clutch Size | 4-8 | 6-12 |
| 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 …
Silver Pheasant
Loud 'kork-KORK' crowing calls from SE Asian mountain forest; sharper and crisper than Common Pheasant. Alarm is explosive cackle. Wing-drumming audible at dawn. Contact clucks soft and guttural.
Geographic Range & Migration
Painted Francolin
Endemic to India; resident of open scrub, dry grassland, and farmland across most of peninsular India.
Silver Pheasant
Resident of forest and secondary growth in southern China, mainland Southeast Asia from Myanmar to Vietnam, and Hainan; at sea level to 2,000 m.
Conservation Status
Painted Francolin
Silver Pheasant
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.
Silver Pheasant
Male striking white above with dense black vermiculations; glossy blue-black below; long white tail; black crest; red facial wattle. Female uniformly dark brown above; buff below with dark streaking.
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.
Silver Pheasant
A large, elegant Phasianidae pheasant (~1.35 kg) of mainland Southeast Asia and southern China. Males are strikingly patterned with a white-laced upper body, glossy black underparts, red facial skin, and a long white tail. Inhabits montane and foothill forests. Omnivorous diet; popular in aviculture. Least Concern.