Painted bush quail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Painted bush quail |
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| A male P. e. erythrorhyncha with chick. | |
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Microperdix erythrorhynchus |
The painted bush quail (Perdicula erythrorhyncha) is a small, colorful bird found in the hill forests of India. These quails are easy to spot because of their bright red beaks and legs. They usually move around in small groups called coveys. If something scares them, they often run in a line along paths before flying away. They also make a special alarm call that sounds like a liquid gurgle.
What They Look Like
_female_(left)_and_male.jpg)
This quail is a dark, brightly colored bird with a deep red beak and legs. These colors stand out, even when the bird is flying!
You can tell the difference between males and females:
- The female has brick-red feathers on her belly. She does not have the white throat or head stripe that the male has.
- The male has a black face with a white stripe above his eye and a white throat.
Painted bush quails usually live in groups of 6 to 10 birds. They come out into open grassy areas or onto forest roads in the morning and evening. Here, they look for seeds, grains, and small insects to eat. They also like to take dust baths. If the group gets separated, the quails call to each other with soft whistles until they are all back together. The male's call during breeding season is a clear, repeated sound like kirikee-kirikee-kirikee.
These quails are about 17 to 19 centimeters (6.6 to 7.5 inches) long. They weigh around 68 to 88 grams (2.4 to 3.1 ounces).
Where They Live
This type of quail mostly lives in the hill forests of India. There are two main groups of painted bush quails that live in different areas.
One group, called the blewitti subspecies, is found in the Satpuras mountains and goes as far as the northern Eastern Ghats. The males in this group have a thinner black band on their forehead and a wider white band around it. Their belly feathers are also a lighter chestnut color. These quails are generally smaller and paler than the other main group.
The other group, called the nominate subspecies, lives in the Western Ghats (south of Pune), the Nilgiris, and other hills in southern India, like the Biligirirangans and Shevaroys.
Life and Habits
Painted bush quails are usually seen in small groups of 8 to 10 birds. If they get scared and fly away, they scatter in different directions. But soon after, they start making special calls to find each other and regroup.
Male quails are thought to usually have only one partner. They can be quite feisty! Sometimes, people who trap birds use a male quail as a "decoy" to attract other quails. The breeding male's call is a repeated kirkee..kirkee. They also make soft whistling sounds that go up and down in pitch.
Reproduction and Young
The time when these quails lay eggs can change depending on the area, but it's usually from December to March. Their nests are often built on the ground, hidden at the bottom of a bush or a clump of grass. The nest might have a thin lining of grass.
The female quail lays about 4 to 7 eggs at a time. She sits on the eggs to keep them warm for 16 to 18 days until they hatch. Females are known to be very protective of their young. They will even try to scare away dogs or humans who get too close to their chicks! The baby quails can fly at a very young age.
