Gray Francolin

Overview

Gray Francolin: Introduced to Hawaii in 1958. Buff-brown overall with barring, finer on the underparts and heavier on the upperparts. Brown crown, nape. Buff to orange-brown face, cheeks. Buff throat, bordered below by a narrow black stripe. They are fast runners and prefer to run when threatened.

Range and Habitat

Gray Francolin: Found an all the main Hawaiian Islands. Prefers savannas and shrubland, may be seen in coastal kiawe forests, golf courses, and roadsides. Occurs from sea level to 3,280'. Native to Iran, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

INTERESTING FACTS

Erckel, Black, and Gray Francolins were all imported and released in several states during the 1950s and 1960s. The mainland populations did not survive, while all three francolin species thrived in Hawaii.
Teetar is the word for bird in Urdu and other related languages.
They are often domesticated and used for cock-fighting.
A group of pheasants has many collective nouns, including a "bouquet", "brace", "plume", "plump", and "trip" of pheasants.

The Gray Francolin is a native, non-migratory resident of Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Iran. It has also been successfully introduced to a few islands in the Indian Ocean, Bahrain, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and the main Hawaiian Islands. This species occurs in scrubby habitats and other open areas throughout its range and feeds on seeds and invertebrates. It has been domesticated in Pakistan and northern India. The Gray Francolin is fairly common in many parts of its large range, is not in decline, and has been given a conservation rating of Least Concern by the IUCN.