Red Spurfowl

The Red Spurfowl is a gamebird endemic to peninsular India, favoring scrub, bamboo, and dry forest undergrowth. Males are richly colored in chestnut-red with fine brown-gray mottling, bare red facial skin, and a long tail often carried cocked upward. The species takes its name from the multiple spurs males bear on each leg, an unusual trait compared to the single spur typical of most gamebirds.

• Body (male): rich chestnut-red overall with fine brown and gray mottling across the back and wings.
• Tail: long and often held cocked up, darker toward the tip.
• Face: bare red skin around the eye, matching the warm tone of the body plumage.
• Female plumage: duller brown overall, more heavily mottled and less richly colored than the male.
• Legs: notable for carrying multiple spurs in males, a feature unusual among gamebirds and useful alongside plumage for identification.

Males show the richer chestnut-red coloring described above, while females are duller and more uniformly brown for camouflage while nesting. Juveniles resemble females until males mature. A complete molt occurs annually.

Red Spurfowl inhabit scrub jungle, bamboo thickets, and dry deciduous forest across peninsular India. The species is non-migratory, remaining resident within its forest and scrub habitat year-round.

This species forages on the ground in dense cover for seeds, fruit, and invertebrates, generally remaining hidden and rarely venturing into the open. It is shy and more often heard than seen, giving loud, harsh calls especially at dawn and dusk. Nests are shallow ground scrapes concealed in thick undergrowth. Red Spurfowl typically occur singly or in pairs rather than large flocks.