Painted Bush Quail

The painted bush quail is a dark, brightly coloured small quail of the hill forests of peninsular India, easily recognised by a deep red bill and legs that are eye-catching even in flight. The male has a black face with a white eyebrow and throat, and the female has brick-red underparts and lacks the male's white throat and head stripe. It is 17–19 cm long and weighs about 68–88 g. The subspecies in the Satpuras and northern Eastern Ghats is smaller and paler than the nominate one of the Western Ghats (Wikipedia, general species account).

It moves in small coveys on hillsides, in groups of eight to ten, and runs in single file along paths before flying when flushed. In the morning and evening it comes out on open grassy patches, forest roads and cart tracks to feed on seeds, grain and small insects, and to dust-bathe. The covey keeps together by constant calls, and the male's territorial call is a triple note, kirikee-kirikee-kirikee. The female lays four to seven eggs, which she alone incubates for 16–18 days. SoIB 2023 rates it a Moderate conservation priority, with a Restricted range and insufficient data on trends (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).