Painted Francolin vs Swainson's Spurfowl
Francolinus pictus compared with Pternistis swainsonii
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Painted Francolin | Swainson's Spurfowl |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Francolinus pictus | Pternistis swainsonii |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 27.8 cm (10.9 in) | 37.3 cm (14.7 in) |
| Weight | 291.0 g (10.26 oz) | 591.25 g (20.86 oz) |
| Diet | Eats seeds, grain, invertebrates, and plant material; forages in dry grass and scrubby areas of … | Omnivorous; eats seeds, berries, invertebrates, and small animals in southern African open savanna. |
| Clutch Size | 4-8 | 3-12 |
| 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 …
Swainson's Spurfowl
Very loud, penetrating crowing; harsh 'kweh-kweh-kweh' repeated up to 20 times; one of the loudest African spurfowl; carries across open farmland
Geographic Range & Migration
Painted Francolin
Endemic to India; resident of open scrub, dry grassland, and farmland across most of peninsular India.
Swainson's Spurfowl
Resident of open savanna, grassland, and bushveld from South Africa north to Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and southeastern Botswana.
Conservation Status
Painted Francolin
Swainson's Spurfowl
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.
Swainson's Spurfowl
Brown above with buff shaft streaks; white below with dense dark brown streaking; bare red facial skin extends down throat forming visible naked neck patch; red legs; dark bill. Sexes …
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.
Swainson's Spurfowl
A large Phasianidae spurfowl (~591 g) of open grassland, savanna, and farmland across southern Africa from Zambia to South Africa. Dark brown, streaked rufous-buff; red facial skin and bill. Often seen foraging in large groups in cultivated fields. Adapts to agricultural landscapes; common gamebird. Least Concern.