Hey! We are the Grey Francolin. We are formerly called as Grey Partridge. We can be often seen in Northern India, in competitions, fighting.
Have a look at few important points about us:
- We are called “Teetar” in the Urdu language. This is based on our calls which are in the form “tee-tar-tee-tar”.
- We roost like chicken, early in the morning, and also at sunset.
- Pairs of our species sing duets in the breeding season.
- We are domesticated in several areas in India for competitions.
- Do you know? We are actually reared by hand. And, when we are tame, we are as confiding as a pet dog.
- Like any other chicken, we cannot fly long distances and only fly when threatened.
- We are caught very interestingly by humans. Decoy birds are used to lure us and catch us by humans.
SOME QUICK FACTS ABOUT US:
Our Scientific Name: Froncolinus Pondicerianus.
Identification: Greyish-brown chicken like bird with brownish bars and dark yellow streaks.
Our Habitat: dry areas, plains, cultivated lands and also scrub forests.
Our Range:
Food Habits: Omnivorous; feed mainly on seeds, grains, insects like beetles, snakes and termites.
Breeding Period: April-September.
Number of eggs laid: 6-8 eggs.
Incubation period: 13-20 days.
Lifespan: 8 years.
IUCN red list status: Least Concern.
GREY FRANCOLIN
CITES: Not listed.
Indian Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule IV.
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Francolinus
Species: F. pondicerianus
COMPLETE DETAILS ABOUT US FOR ANIMAL ENTHUSIASTS:
We are formerly called Grey Partridges. Let us tell you more about our species.
Grey Francolin or Grey Patridge are scientifically called as Froncolinus Pondicerianus.
HOW WE LOOK:
We are medium sized chicken like birds with males having a body length of 29cm-34cm and females having a body length of 26cm-30cm. Males are bigger than females with males weighing 260gms-340gms and females weighing 200gms-310gms.
We are, as our name suggests, greyish-brown in color. Our whole body has reddish-brown bars and yellowish colored streaks. Our face and throat are pale in color. Our throat has a black border. Our cheeks and forehead is orange and our tail is short. Males and females look alike. Males have about 2 spurs on the legs while females lack these. Females and young ones of our species do not have the black border on the neck.
WE ARE FOUND IN:
We prefer living in dry areas, plains, cultivated lands and also scrub forests.
Our range lies in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Iran, Oman and Turkmenistan. We are introduced in Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Andaman and Chagos Islands, Seychelles, Nevada (USA) and Hawaii (USA).
WHAT WE EAT:
We are omnivorous birds. We feed on seeds, grains, insects like beetles, and termites. We sometimes attack and feed on small snakes.
OUR REPRODUCTION:
We are social birds and live alongside several other grey francolins. Our breeding season is April-September. We are monogamous birds (having one mate for a lifetime). Males often fight with other male for the female and form pairs.
Nest is built on the ground hidden. The female lays 6-8 eggs at a time and the incubation period is 13-20 days. Female alone incubates. Both the parents take care of and protect the young chicks. The young chicks become capable of feeding on their own shortly after hatching. Our average lifespan is 8 years.
MORE ABOUT US:
We are loud birds and we can be heard often in the early mornings in our range.
We are domesticated in several areas of northern Indian subcontinent. We are raised to fight in competitions.
We are hunted by humans in much of our range. We are easily caught using nets and also using decoy birds.
We are, like chicken, weak fliers. When threatened we fly for short distances.
OUR CONSERVATION:
We are abundantly found in our range and are considered “Least Concern” in the red list of IUCN. We are also listed in Schedule IV of Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
