Francolinus pictus
Silhouette: Amanda Kuhlman · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The painted francolin or painted partridge (Francolinus pictus) is a species of francolin found in grassy areas in central and southern India and in the lowlands of southeastern Sri Lanka. Thomas C. Jerdon noted that the species was found mainly in Central India south of the Narmada and to the east of the Western Ghats as well as the Chota Nagpur and Northern Circars. It partly overlaps with the black francolin with which it partly overlaps and is said to sometimes hybridize. This species can be so distinguished from a black francolin female by the lack of a rufous hind collar and the white spots on the underside. The face is rufous and there is no dark stripe running behind the eye.
This species is endemic to the Indian subcontinent. It is distributed patchily from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh south into peninsular India (but not along the Malabar coast and rare south of Coimbatore) and in Sri Lanka. The species interbreeds with the black francolin along its northern and appears similar to the female of that species but has no rufous hindcollar, instead having a bright rufous face and throat. The underside has white spots while the legs are orange-yellow to red. It... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Francolin sighting in Bandhavgarh National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 188th most-seen of the 241 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Francolin in Bandhavgarh National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months. Those are among Bandhavgarh National Park's wettest months, with about 380 mm of rain a month against almost none in November.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Painted Francolin sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Painted Francolin sightings, Bandhavgarh National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Kanha National Park (India, about 10%).
Same family: Phasianidae
The closest relatives of the Painted Francolin that you can see in Bandhavgarh National Park (family Phasianidae, Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies) are Common Peafowl (about 60%), Red Junglefowl (about 50%) and Painted Spurfowl (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Painted Francolin is recorded against all the birds logged in Bandhavgarh National Park (20 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
