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Updated India Estimates Showed No Clear Trend for Painted Spurfowl

Painted spurfowl at Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary, India
Conservation · Population & status

The 2025 interim update from State of India’s Birds reported revised national numerical estimates for painted spurfowl (Galloperdix lunulata) in India. The numerical update was released on 6 May 2026.

The long-term numerical estimate was −8.3%, while the current annual estimate was +1.7% per year. In both cases, however, the uncertainty was broad enough that the data could not distinguish a clear increase or decline. The species page still carries the 2023 categories Stable for the long-term trend and Trend Inconclusive for the current annual trend.

The species’ modelled distribution range in India was estimated at 289,682 km². State of India’s Birds describes the painted spurfowl as resident, associated with forest and plantations and endemic to mainland India, and retains it in the Low conservation-priority category.

The interim release updated numerical range and trend estimates for 942 previously assessed bird species using about 48 million eBird observations through 31 May 2025. The trend values describe change in a reporting-based abundance index rather than direct counts of individual birds. The conservation categories from the 2023 assessment were not recalculated.

Sources and image credit

  1. State of India’s Birds Partnership. (2026). State of India’s Birds: Range, trends, and conservation status – 2025 interim update (Version 2) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20036633Primary 2026 release, created 6 May 2026. The update recalculated numerical distribution range size, long-term trend and current annual trend values for 942 species using about 48 million eBird observations through 31 May 2025.
  2. State of India’s Birds Partnership. (2026). Painted Spurfowl (Galloperdix lunulata) factsheet: 2025 update.National factsheet reporting a long-term estimate of −8.28% (95% CI −43.8 to +47.75), a current annual estimate of +1.68% (−1.14 to +4.5), and an estimated distribution range of 289,682 km². The national trends are labelled Stable and Trend Inconclusive.

Image: L. Shyamal / Wikimedia Commons — painted spurfowl (Galloperdix lunulata) photographed at Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary, India, 30 March 2011. Representative species image, not linked to the national trend analysis. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

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