Indian Peafowl vs Swamp Francolin
Pavo cristatus compared with Ortygornis gularis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Indian Peafowl | Swamp Francolin |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Pavo cristatus | Ortygornis gularis |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Near Threatened |
| Length | 195.0 cm (76.8 in) | — |
| Wingspan | 160.0 cm (63.0 in) | — |
| Weight | 5000.0 g (176.37 oz) | 510.0 g (17.99 oz) |
| Diet | Omnivorous — seeds, berries, insects, small vertebrates, and cultivated crops. Forages on the ground in … | Eats seeds, roots, invertebrates, and small animals in Indian swamp grass and reed beds. |
| Clutch Size | 3-8 | 3-7 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Indian Peafowl
Open forests, farmland, and areas near water in the Indian subcontinent. Highly adaptable and common near human settlements.
Song & Call Comparison
Indian Peafowl
Loud, harsh, repetitive 'may-AWE' screaming call, audible over great distances. Display calls are a mewing 'aaaow'. Peacocks call persistently at dawn and before rain.
Swamp Francolin
Harsh, grating 'kurr-KURR-kurr' calls from tall grass and reed beds; South Asian species. Alarm is explosive rapid cackle from dense cover. Contact calls between pair members are lower guttural notes.
Geographic Range & Migration
Indian Peafowl
Indian subcontinent including India, Sri Lanka, and parts of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Feral populations worldwide.
Swamp Francolin
Resident of tall wet grassland and reed beds along rivers and wetlands in the Terai of Nepal, India (Assam), and Bangladesh.
Conservation Status
Indian Peafowl
Swamp Francolin
How to Tell Them Apart
Indian Peafowl
Males (peacocks) have iridescent blue-green plumage and an enormous train of elongated upper tail coverts with eye-spots. Females (peahens) are brown and cryptically patterned.
Short, stout, greyish-horn bill
Swamp Francolin
Dark rufous-brown above with black and buff streaking; white throat; rufous-buff below with white shaft streaks and dark brown lateral flank stripes; red bill; legs red in male. Larger than …
About These Birds
Indian Peafowl
The Indian peafowl is the national bird of India and one of the most spectacular birds in the world. The peacock's enormous train, which can span over two meters, is used in elaborate courtship displays where the feathers are fanned and vibrated. Despite their size, peafowl can fly short distances and roost in tall trees.
Swamp Francolin
A large Phasianidae francolin (~510 g) inhabiting tall grass, reedbeds, and swampy margins of rivers and wetlands in the Gangetic Plains and Nepal Terai. Boldly streaked rufous-brown. Dependent on intact floodplain grass habitat that is rapidly degrading. Near Threatened from wetland drainage and grassland conversion.