Spurs
| Spurs | ||||||||||
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Pair of Ceylon sparrows ( Galloperdix bicalcarata ), illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Galloperdix | ||||||||||
| Blyth , 1845 |
The galloperdix ( Galloperdix ), sometimes called dwarf pheasants referred to are a genus of birds of the order Galliformes . It comprises three species, the distribution of which is restricted to the Indian subcontinent . They mostly inhabit hilly, wooded or scrubland, sometimes rocky terrain. None of the three species is endangered.
description
With a body length of 30 to 38 cm, spurs are on average slightly larger than partridges . In appearance they are approximately between the comb hens and partridge relatives. The sexes differ significantly. However, the splendor of the roosters is not quite as distinctive as that of many pheasants and the hen is more of a plain brown than a cryptic pattern. Males are slightly larger than females. The tail - in the rooster not significantly more pronounced than in the hen - is relatively long, tiered, slightly roof-shaped and is usually held diagonally downwards. It consists of 14 control springs . The wings are short and rounded, with the first hand wing being the shortest, the fifth and sixth the longest. The barrel is reinforced with three or even four spurs in the cockerel, and two in the hen. Combs or wattles are not pronounced. The feathered orbital area turns red during the breeding season.
Pair of the Red Spur Grouse ( Galloperdix spadicea ), the cock in front
Hahn of Perlspornhuhns ( Galloperdix lunulata )
Pair of guinea fowl
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species
- Red spur hen ( G. spadicea ) - India, mainly in the area of the Dekkan Plateau
- Guinea fowl ( G. lunulata ) - India, mainly in the area of the Dekkan Plateau
- Ceylon Grouse ( G. bicalcarata ) - Sri Lanka
Individual evidence
literature
- Steve Madge , Phil McGowan : Pheasants, Partridges & Grouse. Helm Identification Guides, London 2002, ISBN 0-7136-3966-0 .
- Heinz-Sigurd Raethel : Chicken birds of the world. Verlag J. Neumann-Neudamm GmbH & Co. KG, Melsungen 1988, ISBN 3-7888-0440-8 .
