Grey Francolin
Range: Southeastern Iran and Pakistan, throughout India to Bangladesh, northern Sri Lanka. The Grey Francolin or Grey Partridge Francolinus pondicerianus is a species of partridge found in the plains and drier parts of South Asia. Southeastern Iran and Pakistan, throughout India to Bangladesh, northern Sri Lanka. The local name of Teetar is based on their call, a loud and repeated Ka-tee-tar - tee-tar. The term Teetar however can refer to several other similar quails and partridges.
The Grey Partridge is normally found foraging on bare ground or low grass covered ground in scrub and open country and is rarely found above an altitude of 500 m above sea level in India and 1200 m in Pakistan. The distribution is south of the foothills of the Himalayas west till the Indus valley and east till Bengal. It is also found in northwestern Sri Lanka. Introduced populations are found in the Andaman and Chagos Islands.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Francolinus
Species: F. pondicerianus
Binomial name
Range: Southeastern Iran and Pakistan, throughout India to Bangladesh, northern Sri Lanka. The Grey Francolin or Grey Partridge Francolinus pondicerianus is a species of partridge found in the plains and drier parts of South Asia. Southeastern Iran and Pakistan, throughout India to Bangladesh, northern Sri Lanka. The local name of Teetar is based on their call, a loud and repeated Ka-tee-tar - tee-tar. The term Teetar however can refer to several other similar quails and partridges.
The Grey Partridge is normally found foraging on bare ground or low grass covered ground in scrub and open country and is rarely found above an altitude of 500 m above sea level in India and 1200 m in Pakistan. The distribution is south of the foothills of the Himalayas west till the Indus valley and east till Bengal. It is also found in northwestern Sri Lanka. Introduced populations are found in the Andaman and Chagos Islands.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Francolinus
Species: F. pondicerianus
Binomial name
Francolinus pondicerianus
Synonyms
Synonyms
Orytogornis ponticeriana
Status in Wild: Considered by many to be the most common game bird in southwestern Asia and India.
Breeding Season: Varies by region and climate, from April to August.
Clutch Size: 6 to 9
Incubation Period: 21-23 days
The hen begins a clutch of 4 to 9 buff eggs in April. Attentive parents when allowed to naturally rear their offspring, it is important that aviary walls are made with a mesh small enough to prevent the tiny chicks from getting through. As with all natural rearing, changes should be made to water and food dishes to ensure that the chicks have easy access and won’t drown. Artificial rearing can be pose some problems, particularly in getting the chicks to eat. When left natural, the parents show the chicks how to eat and I have seen the male hold a piece of boiled egg in his mouth and allowed the chicks to pick at it. A little tricky to imitate in a brooder, but can be done by using long tweezers or by placing mealworms in a dish. Another alternative is using a foster chick to show the young francolin how to eat. They are quite small, so use a non-aggressive species such as Chinese Painted (Button) Quail to help them out.
The feed on seeds, grains as well as insects, particularly termites. They may occasionally take larger prey such as snakes.
They roost in groups in low thorny trees.
Status
They are hunted in much of their range using low nets and easily caught using calling decoy birds.
In culture
From Rajasthan, IndiaThe species has long been domesticated in areas of northern India and Pakistan where it is used for cock-fighting. The domesticated birds can be huge at around 500-600g, compared to 250g for wild birds. They are usually carefully reared by hand and are as tame and confiding as any household dog.
Much folklore and tradition surrounds the domesticated birds but they are usually known as rahni or a-rahni with the small, wild birds being known as sindi. The species as a whole is locally known as the white partridge - usually "goura teetar" in Urdu and related languages. The variation in colour of the wild birds is also seen in the domesticated birds with the pale versions being known as golden or yellow-peelah.
Status in Wild: Considered by many to be the most common game bird in southwestern Asia and India.
Breeding Season: Varies by region and climate, from April to August.
Clutch Size: 6 to 9
Incubation Period: 21-23 days
The hen begins a clutch of 4 to 9 buff eggs in April. Attentive parents when allowed to naturally rear their offspring, it is important that aviary walls are made with a mesh small enough to prevent the tiny chicks from getting through. As with all natural rearing, changes should be made to water and food dishes to ensure that the chicks have easy access and won’t drown. Artificial rearing can be pose some problems, particularly in getting the chicks to eat. When left natural, the parents show the chicks how to eat and I have seen the male hold a piece of boiled egg in his mouth and allowed the chicks to pick at it. A little tricky to imitate in a brooder, but can be done by using long tweezers or by placing mealworms in a dish. Another alternative is using a foster chick to show the young francolin how to eat. They are quite small, so use a non-aggressive species such as Chinese Painted (Button) Quail to help them out.
The feed on seeds, grains as well as insects, particularly termites. They may occasionally take larger prey such as snakes.
They roost in groups in low thorny trees.
Status
They are hunted in much of their range using low nets and easily caught using calling decoy birds.
In culture
From Rajasthan, IndiaThe species has long been domesticated in areas of northern India and Pakistan where it is used for cock-fighting. The domesticated birds can be huge at around 500-600g, compared to 250g for wild birds. They are usually carefully reared by hand and are as tame and confiding as any household dog.
Much folklore and tradition surrounds the domesticated birds but they are usually known as rahni or a-rahni with the small, wild birds being known as sindi. The species as a whole is locally known as the white partridge - usually "goura teetar" in Urdu and related languages. The variation in colour of the wild birds is also seen in the domesticated birds with the pale versions being known as golden or yellow-peelah.
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