Painted Spurfowl

The painted spurfowl (Galloperdix lunulata) is a medium-sized ground bird endemic to mainland India. Adults are about 27–34 cm long and weigh around 260 g. Males are richly chestnut with bold white spots, especially dense across the darker greenish-black head and underparts, while females are duller and more rufous-brown but retain the characteristic spotted pattern.

The legs are strong and armed with sharp spurs, a defining feature of the genus. The related red spurfowl (Galloperdix spadicea) is more uniformly rufous and lacks the painted spurfowl's dense white spotting. Both species are secretive ground birds, but painted spurfowl are especially associated with rocky, dry country.

Painted spurfowl inhabit rocky hills, boulder-strewn slopes, dry deciduous forest and scrub woodland across central and peninsular India. A report published in 2019 documented several photographed records from the West Bengal portion of the Chota Nagpur Plateau, confirming the species in a part of the plateau with few recent records. One sighting came from typical rocky plateau habitat with no waterbody visible nearby. Cover close to rocks and dense undergrowth is important, but the species is not restricted to sites beside permanent water.

Food is taken almost entirely on the ground. Seeds, fallen fruit and other plant material are combined with insects and other small invertebrates, which are uncovered by scratching through leaf litter and loose soil.

Painted spurfowl are usually encountered alone, in pairs or in small family groups. They tend to run through cover rather than fly unless closely pressed, and their loud, cackling calls are often the easiest way to detect birds concealed among rocks and scrub. Pairs can remain associated outside the immediate breeding period.

Breeding activity is strongest through the warmer months and varies with local rainfall. The nest is a shallow scrape on the ground, hidden beneath vegetation, rocks or other cover. A clutch usually contains 3–4 eggs, rarely 5, and the female performs the incubation.

The chicks are precocial, meaning they can move around soon after hatching. They leave the nest quickly and follow the adults while beginning to feed for themselves. Both parents take part in caring for the chicks.

The painted spurfowl is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List. State of India's Birds classifies it as a low conservation priority and treats it as a resident species endemic to mainland India.

The 2025 update estimates an Indian distribution of about 289,700 km². The long-term change is estimated at about 8.3% decline, but uncertainty is high and the trend remains classed as stable. For more recent years, the estimate is about 1.7% increase per year, but uncertainty is too high to establish a clear direction. The species depends strongly on forest, plantation and scrub mosaics with rocky cover, and local populations can decline where these habitats are lost or degraded.