jungle bush quail

Male has barred underparts, rufous-orange throat and supercilium (with supercilium edged above and below with white), white moustachial stripe, brown ear-coverts, and orange-buff vent. Female has vinaceous-buff underparts, whit head pattern sililar to male.)

Found in coveys of up to 20 birds outside the breeding season. Uses a network of runs through the grass to move in single file between feeding grounds. Birds in a covey bunch up and squat low before suddenly bursting into flight in all directions with a loud whirring of wings. Dry grass and scrub and deciduous forest; chiefly on dry and stony ground.

The diet of the jungle bush quail consists mainly of seeds. particularly of grasses, although it also takes insects.

Makes a harsh grating chee-chee-chuck,chee-chee-chuck.

The jungle bush quail (Perdicula asiatica) is a species of quail found in the Indian subcontinent ranging across India Nepal Bangladesh Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Very different from the female the male jungle bush quail has a white moustache heavily barred white underparts and variegated wings. The female has a uniform rich chestnut breast and belly. However both the male and the female have red and white streaks on the head. It is roughly 6.3&ndash7.2 in (16&ndash18 cm) in length and weighs 2&ndash2.85 oz (57&ndash81 g). Breeding takes place after the rains and lasts until the onset of colder weather with the precise period varying across the range five or six eggs are produced and incubation takes between 16 and 18 days. The species is not globally threatened as it has an extensive range and tends to avoid agricultural areas. The population in Sri Lanka has contracted since the 1950s but is thought to be widespread and common elsewhere in the range. The jungle bush quail is largely sedentary although the birds in Nepal are thought to migrate in winter.