Harlequin quail

Coturnix delegorguei

(Photo from Flickr)

Common name:

harlequin quail (en); codorniz-arlequim (pt); caille arlequin (fr); codorniz arlequín (es); harlekinwachtel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Galliformes

Family Phasianidae

Range:

This African species is found from the Ivory Coast to Kenya and Uganda, and south to South Africa, being absent from the Congo basin and Namibia. They are also found in most of Madagascar.

Size:

The harlequin quail is 16-20 cm long and weighs 57-64 g.

Habitat:

These birds are found in open grasslands, savannas and savanna woodlands, favouring patches of bristle grasses Setaria and sorghum Sorghum purpureosericum.

Diet:

These birds eat both seeds, shoots and leaves of plants, as well as a wide variety of invertebrates. They are known to eat the seeds of grasses like Eleusine, Setaria and Sorghum purpureosericum, and snails, slugs and insects including grasshoppers, beetles, bugs, ants, termites and caterpillars.

Breeding:

Harlequin quails mostly breed in October-March, but the rain is the main factor controlling the timing of the breeding season. They form loose colonies, with the females building the nests on the ground, in a scrape lined with weeds, generally hidden within grassy vegetation. There the female lays 4-8 brown eggs with darker spots, which she incubates alone for 14-18 days. The chicks are able to fly short distances after 5 days, but the male protects them against predators for a few more weeks. Each pair may produce 2-3 clutches per year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be common to abundant in some areas. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Red junglefowl

Gallus gallus

Photo by Tom Stephenson (Discover Life)

Common name:

red junglefowl (en); galo-branquiva (pt); coq sauvage (fr); gallo bankiva (es); bankivahuhn (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Galliformes

Family Phasianidae

Range:

The red junglefowl originates from southern and south-east Asia, from India eastward through Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, into southern China, Myanmar, Thailand and south to Malaysia and Indonesia. The domestic chicken is the domesticated form of the red junglefowl and is found worldwide.

Size:

In this species males are larger, being 65-75 cm long and weighing 670-1450 g. The smaller female is 42-46 cm long and weighs 485-1050 g.

Habitat:

The red junglefowl occupies most tropical and subtropical habitats throughout its extensive range, including mangroves, scrubland and plantations, although it seems to prefer flat or gently sloping terrain, forest edges and secondary forest. It is also found in the foothills of the Himalayas up to an altitude of 2.500 m.

Diet:

The red junglefowl eats corn, soybean, worms, grass, and different kinds of grains found on the ground. They can also eat insects and fruits.

Breeding:

These birds breed in March-September. Dominant males maintain a territory with 3-5 females and have little participation in the breeding process after mating. Each female nests in a scrape on the ground, laying 4-6 eggs. She incubates the eggs alone for 18-21 days. The chicks leave the next within hours after hatching but remain in the family group for about 12 weeks until their mother chases them away.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and, although global population size has not been quantified, the red junglefowl is reported to be widespread and common to locally common. The species is declining owing to habitat loss and degradation and over-hunting for food. Genetic pollution due to hybridization with free-ranging domestic chickens may also pose a threat to this species, but it is not considered threatened at present.

Satyr tragopan

Tragopan satyra

Photo by John Corder (Arkive)

Common name:

satyr tragopan (en); tragopan-sátiro (pt); tragopan satyre (fr); tragopán sátiro (es); satyrtragopan (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Galliformes

Family Phasianidae

Range:

This Asian species is found in the Himalayan reaches of India, China, Nepal and Bhutan.

Size:

Satyr tragopans are 61-71 cm long and weigh 1-2,1 kg.

Habitat:

These birds are found in moist oak and rhododendron forest with dense undergrowth and bamboo clumps, mixed forest, scrub and densely vegetated ravines, usually between 2.200-4.250 m in the breeding season, sometimes moving down to 1.800 m in winter.

Diet:

Satyr tragopans mostly eat the petals, buds and leaves of plants such as the paper laurel, rhododendrons, ferns, daphne, and bastard cinnamon. They also eat bamboo shoots, rhododendron seeds and bulbs from the onion family. They also eat invertebrates such as earwigs, ants, cockroaches, spiders and centipedes.

Breeding:

These birds breed in May-June, although some birds may not breed until July at higher elevations. The nest is made of sticks and twigs, placed on a tree or scrub about 6 m above the ground and well concealed from view. There the female lays 2-3 buff-colored eggs with reddish-brown dots. The eggs are incubated for 28 days. The chicks are able to fly and perch 2-3 days after hatching, but remain with their mother for their first year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)

This species has a relatively small breeding range and a global population of just 10.000-20.000 individuals. There are no data on population trends, but hunting and habitat degradation due to timber harvesting, fuelwood and fodder collection and livestock grazing, are suspected to be causing a slow decline.

Grey partridge

Perdix perdix

(Photo from Animal Photos)

Common name:

grey partridge (en); perdiz-cinzenta (pt); perdrix grise (fr); perdiz pardilla (es); rebhuhn (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Galliformes

Family Phasianidae

Range:

This species breeds throughout Europe from the UK to Kazakhstan, extending north to Scandinavia, and with a patchy distribution in southern Europe. They have been successfully introduced to many parts of the world for shooting, including vast areas of North America.

Size:

Grey partridges are 28-32 cm long and have a wingspan of 45-48 cm. They weigh 340-450 g.

Habitat:

This species is mostly found in open farmland, but also on wasteland, moors, and sand dunes. Adults prefer to occupy open grass or vegetation, but tend to move their chicks into cereal crops.

Diet:

Adults feed on grass, seeds and shoots. They also take some insects during the breeding season. The young feed completely on invertebrates such as sawflies, beetles and aphids for the first 2 weeks after hatching.

Breeding:

Grey partridges breed in April-September. The nest is a scrape in the ground lined with grass and leaves, usually hidden at the base of a hedge or clump of vegetation. There the female lays up to 20 olive-brown eggs, which she incubates alone for 20-25 days. The precocial chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and start hunting insects while escorted by their parents. After 16-19 days the chicks fledge and change into a mostly granivorous diet.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has suffered a marked decline in all parts of its native range owing to habitat loss and degradation caused by agricultural intensification and loss of insect prey caused by pesticides. Still, with a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 5-10 million, this species is not considered threatened at present.

Red-necked francolin

Francolinus afer

Photo by Ian White (Flickr)

Common name:

red-necked francolin (en); francolim-de-gola-vermelha (pt); francolin à gorge rouge (fr); francolín gorgirrojo (es); rotkehlfrankolin (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Galliformes

Family Phasianidae

Range:

This African species is found in the southern half of the continent, from Kenya, Uganda, D.R. Congo, Congo and Gabon in the north, and all the way down to South Africa.

Size:

The red-necked francolin is 25-38 cm long. They have a wingspan of 39-42 cm. Males tend to be larger than females, females weigh around 500 g while the males can weigh up to 700 g.

Habitat:

The red-necked francolin is mostly found in tropical and sub-tropical lowland moist forests and in tropical and sub-tropical dry grasslands. They are also found in dry savannas.

Diet:

Their diet consists mainly of seeds, tubers, bulbs, roots, berries and grass stalks. They can also eat molluscs, and insects and their larvae, namely termites and ticks.

Breeding:

The timing of breeding varies with rainfall, but tends to occur mostly in November-April. The red-necked francolin nests on a bare scrape in the ground, where the female lays 3-9 eggs. The eggs are incubated for 23 days by the female. The young are fully grown after 3-4 months.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This is a very widespread and abundant species. Although some populations have declined locally, especially in Zimbabwe due to over-hunting, the species is not threatened at present.