Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Painted Spurfowl (Galloperdix lunulata), male
Painted Spurfowl, Male

Painted Spurfowl

Galloperdix lunulata

The painted spurfowl, a member of the pheasant family, is a bird that captivates with its striking plumage. The males are particularly vibrant, adorned with bold white spots that stand out against their darker feathers. These birds are equipped with two to four spurs on their tarsus, while females may also have one or two.

Identification Tips

To identify the male painted spurfowl, look for its black tail and the stark contrast of ochre underparts against darker upperparts. The plumage is speckled with white spots framed by black. The male's head and neck shimmer with a green sheen and are finely dotted with white. The chestnut mantle, rump, and wing coverts add to the bird's colorful display. Females are more subdued in coloration, with a rufous brow and ear coverts, and a pale, spotted throat. Both sexes have dark grey bills and legs, and the tail may be held upright.

Habitat

The painted spurfowl is a denizen of rocky and scrub forest habitats, preferring drier environments than its cousin, the red spurfowl.

Distribution

This species is endemic to peninsular India, with sightings in the Aravalli ranges of Rajasthan, the central Indian hills of Pachmarhi, and the rocky hills and dry forests of southern India, including the Nallamala region in the Eastern Ghats.

Behaviour

These birds are typically seen in pairs or small family groups of up to six individuals. They are ground-dwellers, adept at navigating the undergrowth and more inclined to run than fly when disturbed.

Song & Calls

The painted spurfowl's vocalizations consist of a loud, repeated series of "chuguk" calls.

Breeding

The breeding season spans from January to June, with a peak in February. Courtship involves the male presenting food to the female. The species is believed to be monogamous. Nests are simple scrapes on the ground, often sheltered by a boulder, where the female lays three to four, sometimes five, pale creamy eggs. While only the female incubates, both parents are involved in rearing the chicks, even performing distraction displays to protect them from predators.

Diet and Feeding

Their diet includes berries, such as those from Ziziphus oenoplia and Lantana camara, as well as insects and flowers like Madhuca longifolia. They are known to visit waterholes in the early morning.

Conservation status

The painted spurfowl is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating a stable population.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Painted Spurfowls on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Pheasants & Allies

Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Madstherangers
A mordern game changer
Birda is an awesome app, its updated the world of birding to the modern day with a fun and easy to use app. It’s engaging and allows positive interaction with fellow bird lovers!
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
Dunners12345
Great App
Great app to use for logging and communicating with others who are interested in birds
Anonymous
The best bird logging app
Birda is honestly the best bird logging app I have seen. I love all the features it has from being able to do a session and log all the birds you see in one sitting, to being able to connect with other birders from all over the globe!
Dan R
Great app for bird fanatics
Great app for bird fanatics - very user friendly and a perfect place to share sightings.
Alex J
Friendly and helps to identify birds
Great birding app, good for logging your sightings, also has nice species guide. I'm enjoying the social aspect more than I expected, everyone seems friendly and helps to identify unknown birds. Good mix of newbies and experienced users.
Viperray5
Loving it
I really enjoy being able to interact with other birders on this platform! This seems like a great way to meet other birders and find some new spots.
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
Mike T
Sense of Community
A great app, which is continually being improved. What really comes through is the passion of those behind the app. The sense of community is brilliant, so much help and support provided to new and/or in experienced birders.
Alice J
Awesome Birding Community
I absolutely love the community aspect of this app. The app is so user friendly and has fun interactive challenges to get you out birding. I’ve tried others but since I’ve started using Birda I’ve not gone back!
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.