Grey Francolin

The grey francolin is a medium-sized, mostly ground-living game bird, finely barred all over, with a pale face and a thin black border around a pale throat. Males are 29–34cm long and weigh 260–340g, females a little less, and males can carry up to two spurs on each leg. The only similar species is the painted francolin, which has a rufous vent. It is a weak flier, making short bursts before dropping into cover, and in flight shows a chestnut tail and dark primaries. Its local name, teetar, echoes its loud, repeated call (Wikipedia, general species account).

Across its range it forages on bare or sparsely grassed ground in scrub and open country, eating seeds and grain as well as insects, especially termites and beetles, and roosts in groups in low thorny trees. Pairs often call in duet in the early morning. The nest is a hidden scrape on the ground, and six to eight eggs are usual. In India it is a resident of open habitats with a very large range of about 1.8 million km², and its current annual trend is an increase; SoIB 2023 rates it a Low conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).