A bird of the pheasant family found in rocky hill and scrub forests mainly on the Indian peninsular.

Brightly colored, this bird is boldly spotted in a multitude of colors and sheens from emerald green to chestnut and russet brown.

Meet the Painted spurfowl

The painted spurfowl (Galloperdix lunulata), is a bird of the pheasant family found in rocky hill and scrub forests mainly on the Indian peninsular. These birds are unique in the spurfowl family in that they have no bare facial skin. The plumage on their upper parts has white spots edged with black. The head and neck of the male are black with a green sheen and finely spotted in white while the mantle, rump, and wing coverts are chestnut.

The female is duller overall when compared to the male, with a rufous brow and ear coverts.

Her throat is pale and spotted like the males, though she lacks the white spotting on the body.

This bird is found in some parts of the Aravalli ranges in Rajasthan, the hills of central India, as well as the rocky hills and dry forested areas of southern India. They have also been seen in the Nallmalai region in the Andra Pradesh Eastern Ghats.

Painted spurfowl prefer to live in habitats drier than the red spurfowl. In southern parts of India, they can be found in rocky hills with scrub-covered slopes. Here they feed on berries, insects, and flowers.

Painted spurfowl breed between January and August. Thought to be monogamous, a nest is built in a shallow scrape on the ground, which is lined with leaves, often located under the cover of rock. Three to five eggs are laid within which the female incubates on her own, though both parents care for the young.

When flushed males and females both give a harsh, cackling “kuk-kuk-kuk-kukaak.”

Painted spurfowl have a very large breeding range, described by many as being locally frequent. This being the case, the population is described as of least concern, with no evidence of substantial threats or declines.