Birdfinding.info ⇒ Generally the commonest, most conspicuous partridge across most of its range. Especially numerous in western, central, and southern India, the northern U.A.E., and northern Oman. In Hawaii, it is very common in the western lowlands of Maui and the Big Island, and can be seen reliably at several points along Oahu’s coast, including Diamond Head, Nu’upia Pond, Ka’ena Point, and James Campbell and Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuges.
Gray Francolin
Francolinus pondicerianus
Arid and semiarid plains and scrublands of Southern Asia.
Native to the Indian Subcontinent from south-coastal Iran eastward across southern and eastern Pakistan and India from the Himalayan foothills south to Sri Lanka and east to West Bengal and marginally into Bangladesh.
Introduced to the Arabian Peninsula, where it is well-established in the U.A.E., Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain. Elsewhere introduced populations are also established on Mauritius, the main Hawaiian Islands, and tenuously on South Andaman.
Identification
A medium-sized gray-and-brown partridge with a buffy face and throat, and extensive barring above and below.
The wings have distinctive square chestnut marks with pale borders.
Subspecies, or local populations, vary somewhat in overall coloration from relatively grayer to buffier to browner.
Gray Francolin, showing squarish chestnut marks on the wings and barring on the back and rump. (Jaffna, Sri Lanka; February 28, 2018.) © Vipul Ramanuj
Gray Francolin, showing typical mix of gray, brown, and buff in plumage. (Honolua Bay, Maui, Hawaii; December 5, 2017.) © Kiera Carvalho
Gray Francolin, an individual on the buffy end of the spectrum. (Tal Chhapar Sanctuary, Churu, Rajasthan, India; May 23, 2015.) © Stefan Hirsch
Gray Francolin, a dark, heavily marked individual. (Moyar Gorge, Chamrajnagar, Karnataka, India; November 29, 2014.) © Vasanthan Panchavarnam
Gray Francolin, showing mostly white-and-gray underparts. (Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park, Big Island, Hawaii; February 26, 2017.) © Bitty Roy
Gray Francolin, an extensively brown individual. (Tungabhadra High Level Canal, Bellary, Karnataka, India; June 11, 2018.) © Ramesh Desai
Gray Francolin, showing upperparts pattern and buffy face and throat. (Zallaq, Al Janubiyah, Bahrain; February 13, 2016.) © Krishna Das
Gray Francolin, showing mostly buffy-and-brown underparts. (Banni Grassland, Kachchh, Gujarat, India; September 30, 2016.) © Shivam Tiwari
Gray Francolin, with chicks, and showing strongly contrasting gray, brown, and buffy plumage. (Kaldari, Pune, Maharashtra, India; June 10, 2018.) © Rudraksha Chodankar
Gray Francolin, showing mostly pale gray underparts. (Kea Lani, Maui, Hawaii; January 8, 2018.) © Bridget Spencer
Gray Francolin, in flight, showing barring pattern on the wings. (Tal Chhapar Sanctuary, Churu, Rajasthan, India; November 16, 2016.) © Vipul Ramanuj
Gray Francolin, a pale, buffy individual. (Waimea-Kohala Airport, Big Island, Hawaii; November 13, 2011.) © Ryan O’Donnell
Gray Francolin, showing mostly pale gray underparts and contrastingly dark-brown on upperparts. (Aimakapa Pond, Big Island, Hawaii; July 29, 2011.) © Tanner Martin
Notes
Polytypic species consisting of three recognized subspecies.
References
BirdLife International. 2018. Francolinus pondicerianus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22678728A131904182. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22678728A131904182.en. (Accessed March 24, 2020.)
eBird. 2020. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed March 24, 2020.)
Madge, S., and P.J.K. McGowan. 2002. Pheasants, Partridges, and Grouse: A Guide to the Pheasants, Partridges, Quails, Grouse, Guineafowl, Buttonquails, and Sandgrouse of the World. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
McGowan, P.J.K., and G.M. Kirwan. 2020. Grey Francolin (Francolinus pondicerianus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. https://www.hbw.com/node/53389. (Accessed March 24, 2020.)
Pratt, H.D. 1993. Enjoying Birds in Hawaii: A Birdfinding Guide to the Fiftieth State (Second Edition). Mutual Publishing, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Pyle, R.L., and P. Pyle. 2017. The Birds of the Hawaiian Islands: Occurrence, History, Distribution, and Status. Version 2 (January 1, 2017). http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/birds/rlp-monograph/. B.P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Xeno-Canto. 2020. Grey Francolin – Francolinus pondicerianus. https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Francolinus-pondicerianus. (Accessed March 24, 2020.)