Painted Bush-quail vs Ahanta Spurfowl

Perdicula erythrorhyncha compared with Pternistis ahantensis

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Painted Bush-quail Ahanta Spurfowl
Scientific Name Perdicula erythrorhyncha Pternistis ahantensis
Order Galliformes Galliformes
Family Phasianidae Phasianidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length — —
Wingspan 16.6 cm (6.5 in) 34.6 cm (13.6 in)
Weight 67.5 g (2.38 oz) 547.5 g (19.31 oz)
Diet -- Feeds on seeds, invertebrates, and plant matter in West African lowland forest and thicket.
Clutch Size 4-10 3-12
Population Trend — —

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Painted Bush-quail only

Ahanta Spurfowl only

Song & Call Comparison

Painted Bush-quail

Song

High, piping 'wee-wee-wee' call from Indian hill grassland; slightly melodic for a bush-quail. Alarm is a soft 'pip-pip'. Red bill prominent when flushed. Covey contact notes are gentle clucks.

Ahanta Spurfowl

Song

Loud, staccato 'krak-krak-KRAAK' from W African forest edge; slightly higher than larger spurfowl. Alarm is rapid explosive cackling. Pairs call in loose synchrony at dawn in secondary growth.

Geographic Range & Migration

Painted Bush-quail

Ahanta Spurfowl

Resident of dense lowland and coastal forest in West Africa from Ghana to Cameroon; also found in Bioko Island.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Painted Bush-quail

Least Concern

Ahanta Spurfowl

How to Tell Them Apart

Painted Bush-quail

Ahanta Spurfowl

Plumage

Dark brown above with pale buff shaft streaks; whitish below with dark brown streaking; red bill; red orbital skin; yellow legs. Sexes similar; closely resembles Double-spurred Spurfowl; West African forests.

About These Birds

Painted Bush-quail

A tiny Phasianidae quail (~68 g) of moist scrub and secondary growth along the Western Ghats and Himalayan foothills. Males have a bright red bill and richly spotted plumage. Coveys forage in dense scrub for seeds and invertebrates. Endemic to the Indian subcontinent; Least Concern.

Ahanta Spurfowl

A medium Phasianidae spurfowl (~548 g) of lowland and secondary forest edges in West Africa from Ivory Coast to Nigeria. Dark brown streaked white; red orbital skin. Forages on the ground in pairs or small groups for seeds, berries, and invertebrates. Tolerates forest fragments; Least Concern.

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