Jungle Bush-Quail

Jungle bush quails are a small species of quail, 15–18 cm (5.9–7.1 in) long and weighing 57–82 g (2.0–2.9 oz). Adult males have a dull brown mantle, back, scapulars and wings, with buff streaking and blackish-brown blotches. The breasts, flanks, and upper belly are whitish with narrow black barring, while the lower belly and undertail coverts are reddish-buff. The forehead, lores, and supercilium are dark reddish-brown, with the supercilium turning buffy-white behind the eye towards the back of the neck. The top of the head and back of the neck are dark reddish-brown with blackish-brown mottling, while the ear-coverts are dark brown. The chin and throat are also dark reddish-brown and are separated from the ear-coverts by a buffy-white moustachial stripe. The species shows significant sexual dimorphism, with females having dull pinkish-brown underparts, more uniform and less barred wings with less blotching, and duller moustachial stripes. Some older females may develop pale barring on the breast. Juveniles are similar to the female, but have whitish streaks on the side of the head, throat, and breast. The upperparts have more markings and the primaries are mottled and barred. Males develop barring on the underparts during their first winter, around the age of three months. The bill is blackish in adult males and dull brownish-grey in all other plumages. …

The jungle bush quail is native to the Indian subcontinent, where it is found throughout peninsular India north to Gujarat, Odisha, and the Kashmir foothills, along with Sri Lanka. It has also been reported from Nepal, but has not been recorded there since the 19th century. It was introduced to Réunion around 1850 and to Mauritius around 1860, but the species is now locally extinct on the latter island. It inhabits dry areas with shrubby or rocky cover, in habitats ranging from thin grasslands to dense deciduous forests. It is found at elevations up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft), but at elevations up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in the Western Ghats and southern India. It is generally non-migratory, but is possibly a migrant in Nepal.

The jungle bush quail is typically seen in groups of 6–25 birds (called coveys) while dust bathing on tracks or foraging in grassland. Coveys walk along well-trodden paths to drink in the morning and evening, and create tunnel-like tracks through tall grass while doing so. The species prefers to walk or run away from potential danger, and will only fly away as a last resort. When alarmed, coveys will sit at the base of a bush before flying explosively into different directions. After a short time, they will start running and regroup by gathering towards each other's calls. Roosting occurs on the ground.

Diet. The jungle bush quail feeds on seeds, such as those of grass, weeds, gram, and millets, along with small insects like termites and their larvae.

Breeding. The breeding season of the jungle bush quail starts with the end of the rains and lasts until the end of the cold season, with the exact period varying: from January to March in Karnataka, from October to March in the Deccan plateau, from August to April in central India, and from March to April in eastern central India and Sri Lanka. In Réunion, breeding occurs in November. The species is seemingly monogamous. Nests are shallow grass-lined scrapes located in cover at the base of grass. Clutches can contain 4–8 eggs, but usually have 5–6. …