Painted Francolin vs Mountain Peacock-Pheasant
Francolinus pictus compared with Polyplectron inopinatum
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Painted Francolin | Mountain Peacock-Pheasant |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Francolinus pictus | Polyplectron inopinatum |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Near Threatened |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 27.8 cm (10.9 in) | 37.2 cm (14.6 in) |
| Weight | 291.0 g (10.26 oz) | 477.0 g (16.83 oz) |
| Diet | Eats seeds, grain, invertebrates, and plant material; forages in dry grass and scrubby areas of … | Feeds on seeds, fruits, and invertebrates in Malaysian montane forest; forages by scratching leaf litter. |
| Clutch Size | 4-8 | 2 |
| 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 …
Mountain Peacock-Pheasant
Clear, slightly plaintive 'kwee-oo' whistle from Malay Peninsula cloud forest; melodic for a peacock-pheasant. Male calls during display. Alarm is an abrupt 'kak'. Contact is quiet clucking.
Geographic Range & Migration
Painted Francolin
Endemic to India; resident of open scrub, dry grassland, and farmland across most of peninsular India.
Mountain Peacock-Pheasant
Endemic to the Malay Peninsula (Cameron Highlands area); resident of montane forest above 900 m; very poorly known.
Conservation Status
Painted Francolin
Mountain Peacock-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.
Mountain Peacock-Pheasant
Dark brown with white shaft streaking; circular iridescent greenish ocelli on wing coverts and tail; pinkish-red orbital skin; buff speckled face. Female similar with smaller ocelli; montane Malayan endemic.
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.
Mountain Peacock-Pheasant
A medium-small Phasianidae pheasant (~477 g) restricted to montane mossy and oak forests above 1,000 m in the Malay Peninsula. Males are brown with sparse violet ocelli; plumage less ornamented than lowland relatives. Sedentary and secretive. Near Threatened from montane forest degradation.