Painted Francolin vs Hainan Peacock-Pheasant

Francolinus pictus compared with Polyplectron katsumatae

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Painted Francolin Hainan Peacock-Pheasant
Scientific Name Francolinus pictus Polyplectron katsumatae
Order Galliformes Galliformes
Family Phasianidae Phasianidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Endangered
Length
Wingspan 27.8 cm (10.9 in) 32.4 cm (12.8 in)
Weight 291.0 g (10.26 oz) 554.6 g (19.56 oz)
Diet Eats seeds, grain, invertebrates, and plant material; forages in dry grass and scrubby areas of … Ground forager; eats seeds, fruits, and invertebrates in Hainan Island tropical forest.
Clutch Size 4-8 1-2
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

Painted Francolin only

Hainan Peacock-Pheasant only

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Song & Call Comparison

Painted Francolin

Song

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 …

Hainan Peacock-Pheasant

Song

Thin whistled 'kwi-kwi' display calls; Hainan endemic, one of world's rarest pheasants. Alarm is a sharp explosive 'kak'. Contact presumably low clucking. Very poorly documented vocally due to rarity.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Painted Francolin

Endemic to India; resident of open scrub, dry grassland, and farmland across most of peninsular India.

Hainan Peacock-Pheasant

Endemic to Hainan Island, China; resident of tropical broadleaf forest; critically endangered.

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

Painted Francolin

Endangered

Hainan Peacock-Pheasant

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How to Tell Them Apart

Painted Francolin

Plumage

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.

Hainan Peacock-Pheasant

Plumage

Male brownish-black with blue-green iridescent ocelli on wings and tail; pinkish orbital skin; whitish-buff facial scaling. Female brown with small green ocelli; both sexes noticeably smaller than mainland relatives.

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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.

Hainan Peacock-Pheasant

A small, critically threatened Phasianidae pheasant (~555 g) endemic to the tropical forests of Hainan Island, China. Males bear iridescent blue-green ocelli on a brown ground. Very few individuals remain in severely fragmented habitats. Feeds on seeds and invertebrates. Endangered from near-total loss of original forest cover.

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