Black Francolin

Latin Name: 
Francolinus francolinus
Size: 
35cm
Description: 

Male: jet-black, spotted and marked white and fulvous; white cheeks; chestnut collar, belly and under tail-coverts. Female: browner where male is black; rufous nuchal patch; no white cheeks or chestnut collar. Solitary or small parties in high grass and edges of canals; emerges in the open in the early mornings;  sometimes cocks tail.

Habitat: 
high grass, cultivation; prefers wetter areas along canals and rivers.
Food: 
grain, seeds, tubers, fallen berries, insects.
Distribution: 
resident; N subcontinent, along foothills; south to N Gujarat and C Madhya Pradesh; an eastern race melanotus occurs east of Nepal in Duars; up to about 2,000m.
Call: 
Call Description: 
loud 3- to 6-note crow of the cock
National Status: