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 partridge. The bare skin around the eye is reddish. The legs of both males and females have one or two spurs, which give them their name.
Region
Peninsular India
Typical Environment
Occurs in moist and dry deciduous forests, semi-evergreen edges, bamboo thickets, and dense secondary growth. It favors areas with thick leaf litter and tangled understorey where it can forage and hide. Birds often use streamside thickets, forest edges, and lightly disturbed plantations with adequate cover. They are largely terrestrial and rarely venture into open spaces except to cross paths or clearings.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The red spurfowl is a shy, ground-dwelling galliform found only in India, usually detected by its ringing calls at dawn and dusk. Both sexes carry one or two sharp leg spurs, which they use in defense and dominance displays. It prefers dense undergrowth and often bursts into a short, explosive flight when flushed, vanishing quickly back into cover.
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with an explosive flush, then a brief glide back into cover
Social Behavior
Typically found in pairs or small family groups, keeping close contact in dense cover. Ground-nesting, with nests concealed in thick vegetation or at the base of shrubs. Monogamous pairing is common, and adults lead chicks through leaf litter while foraging.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A loud, ringing series of whistles and cackles, often delivered at dawn and dusk. Pairs may duet, with the second bird answering rapidly. Calls carry far through forest and are the best clue to presence.
