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Wednesday, 22 April 2026

Wild Bird Wednesday 717 - Grey Francolin

The Grey Francolin (Ortygornis pondicerianus) is a bird the resembles a partridge, and has a convoluted and difficult taxonomic history.  Many studies have been made of the relationship of species of Francolin  to each other and to other 'game birds'.  It's probably beyond the scope of this post, and definitely outside the scope of my understanding to clearly explain this aspect of Grey Francolin's biology!

The Grey Francolin is a medium-sized Francolin, with males averaging around 30 cm and females being a little smaller, it is barred throughout and the face is pale with a thin, black border to the pale throat. 

The Grey Francolin is a ground dwelling bird and is normally found in bare or low grass-covered areas of scrub and open country.  The Grey Francolin is widespread in south Asia.  The majority of times I saw this birds in India, they were feeding in the vegetation by the sides of roads.  Of course, those observations are biased by the fact we spent a lot of time birding from vehicles!  But it was clear that this species seemed to like open, sparse areas.













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16 comments:

  1. Hari Om
    They are rather cutesome, I think! lovely shots, as we know and love from you Stewart. YAM xx

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  2. Beautiful photos of this pretty bird.

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  3. A very magnificent bird. Your photos are excellent.

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  4. That's a new one on me. Sort of reminds me of a quail

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  5. Dear Stewart, you're right, the bird does resemble a partridge – that was my first thought too. You took some fantastic photos of the Grey Francolin.

    All the best from Austria, Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2026/04/fruhlingstage-zwischen-licht-und.html

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  6. Not familliar with this bird. Gorgeous!

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  7. So beautiful bird, well captured

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  8. A great bird to have seen It is amazing how it blends into its surroundings. Thanks for hosting and commenting. I hope you havae a lovely week ahead.

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  9. Interestingly, I once knew a guy named Frank whose wife’s name was Lynne. Would that make him a Frank o’ Lynne?

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  10. Hello Stewart :) A fine looking bird that does resemble quail but it it's feather markings are much more elaborate- A fine looking bird that does resemble quail but it's feather markings are much more elaborate Very well photographed Stewart.
    All the best
    Sonjia.

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  11. Excellent photos of this bird. I did.'t know this bird, thank you for sharing. Have a nice day !

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  12. How neat. I've actually seen that bird in Hawaii and got pictures to prove it. Apparently they are now common there in dry areas. It was actually walking across the lawn of the cottage complex where we were staying.

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  13. This bird is actually so cute. I love how they look like little round partridges. It’s so cool that you got to see them just hanging out by the side of the road in India, birding from a car sounds like my kind of vibe lol. Thanks for sharing the facts, I had no idea their history was so complicated.

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  14. It has a pleasing shape. The coloring looks like it’s designed for blending into the environment.

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