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PHEASANTS AND QUAILS

© Mazhar Ali

RED JUNGLE FOWL
SIZE; Domestic fowl, length 70cm(28in).
FIELD CHARACTERS; Both sexes very similar to the domestic' Game bantam' Breed. Male. Above, chiefly glossy deep orange-red with long lanceolate yellowish neck-hackles. Long, metallic black sickle-shaped tail. Below, dull blackish brown. Female. Above, crown dull rufous; forehead and supercillia bright chestnut, continuing downward to meet in a loop on fore neck. Rest of upper parts reddish brown, finely vermiculated with buff. Below, pale-shafted light rufous-brown.
STATUS, HABITAT, ETC; Resident; chiefly duars and foothills, but locally up to 2000 m; moist-deciduous and evergreen forest, and bamboo and scrub jungle in broken hummocky country, especially where interspersed with clearings and cultivation. In eastern Arunachal Pradesh(Mishmi hills) intrudes the Burmese subspecies Spadiceus with blunter neck-hackle, deeper golden red near tip. Keeps in small parties, usually a cock and 3 or 4 hens. Habits very similar to Kaleej Pheasant, the two species often associating.
FOOD; seeds, shoots and other vegetable matter, insects, grubs, etc.
CALL; crow of cock very similar to that of Game Bantam-somewhat shriller and with a more abrupt ending.

PEACOCK PHEASANT
SIZE; Domestic hen; length of male bird is 60 cm (24 in); length of female bird is 50 cm (20 in).
FIELD CHARACTERS; Male, above, head and neck brownish buff with a short frowzled mop-like crest; naked facial skin yellowish pink. Rest of upper plumage grayish brown, spotted and barred with whitish on back, rump and upper tail-coverts. Mantle, wing-coverts, and feathers of broad fan-shaped tail studded with brilliant violet green-blue, white-rimmed, eye-spots or occelli. Below, chin and throat whitish; rest grayish brown, narrowly barred with whitish on throat mopre extensive; occelli on mantle less brilliant, those on the shorter rectrices obsolete.
STATUS, HABITAT, ETC; Resident. Duars and foothills up to 1200 m, in dense evergreen forest. Skulks in thick undergrowth; extremely swift on its legs and loath to fly. Difficult to flush even with a dog, thus seldom seen in the wild.
FOOD; grains, seeds, berries, grubs, insects, -especially white ants.
CALL; A deep guttural ok-kok-kok-kok-kok not unlike a cock English pheasant's.

YELLOWLEGGED BUTTON QUAIL
SIZE; Grey Quail; length of male bird is 15 cm (6 in), and of female bird is slightly larger.
FIELD CHARACTERS; Male. Above, crown blackish, rufous and buff with a pale median line or "center parting' supercilious and sides of head buff. Back grayish brown cross-barred and vermiculated with black. Below, pale buff; whitish on throat, darker rusty brownish on middle of breast, black-spotted on its sides. Female similar but slightly larger and with a broad orange-rufous collar on upper back and sides of neck, conspicuous when bird flying away from observer. Both sexes readily distinguished from coexisting Bustard quail by bright yellow bill and legs bluish grey.

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