Spurfowl
Encyclopedia
Galloperdix are three species
of birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae
. These terrestrial
birds are restricted to the Indian Subcontinent
, with the Red Spurfowl
and Painted Spurfowl
in forest and scrub in India
, and the Sri Lanka Spurfowl
in forests of Sri Lanka
. They share the common name "spurfowl" with the African members of the genus Pternistis.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae
Phasianidae
The Phasianidae is a family of birds which consists of the pheasants and partridges, including the junglefowl , Old World Quail, francolins, monals and peafowl. The family is a large one, and is occasionally broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae, and the Perdicinae...
. These terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
birds are restricted to the Indian Subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
, with the Red Spurfowl
Red Spurfowl
The Red Spurfowl is a member of the pheasant family and is endemic to India. It is a bird of forests, and is quite secretive despite its size. It has a distinctive call and is often hard to see except for a few seconds when it flushes from the undergrowth. It appears reddish and like a long-tailed...
and Painted Spurfowl
Painted Spurfowl
The Painted Spurfowl is a bird of the pheasant family found in rocky hill and scrub forests mainly in peninsular India. Males are more brightly coloured and spotted boldly in white. Males have two to four spurs while females can have one or two of th spurs on their tarsus. The species is found...
in forest and scrub in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and the Sri Lanka Spurfowl
Sri Lanka Spurfowl
The Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Galloperdix bicalcarata, is a member of the pheasant family which is endemic to the dense rainforests of Sri Lanka....
in forests of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. They share the common name "spurfowl" with the African members of the genus Pternistis.