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33 cm
in length.
Size of a partridge, or of a half grown village
fowl. The hen resembles a small, brown village chicken; the cock, with his white-spangled
black foreparts and dark chestnut hinder parts, is unmistakable.
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Strictly a forest bird, it is so shy and wary that its presence in a district would often
pass quite unknown were it not for its unmistakable cry; this reveals that
it is not uncommon in much of the more densely forested parts of its range. The cry is
peculiar, ringing cackle, consisting of series of three-syllabled whistles.
Distinctly
a ground bird. The food consists of various seeds, fallen berries, termites and other
insects, and it scratches vigorously for them amongst the dead leaves, etc., of the forest
floor. The
breeding season is in the north-east monsoon, and sometimes a second brood is raised in
July-September.
The nest is a slight scrape in the ground in the shelter of a rock, bush,
etc. The eggs from the normal clutch, but up to five have been recorded; they are cream or
warm buff in color, and exactly resemble miniature hens' eggs in appearance. They measure
about 43 × 31 mm. |
