Sri Lanka Spurfowl

Partridgelike bird. Male unmistakable, with conspicuous white spots and streaks covering body. Also note the bright red bill, facial skin, and legs. Female plain reddish-brown, lacking the white markings of the male. Female told from larger female Sri Lanka Junglefowl by the spurfowl’s uniform coloration with complete absence of any prominent bars or streaking. Terrestrial forest bird that occurs in pairs, within the lowlands and hills predominantly in the Wet Zone, but also very locally in the Dry Zone. Rollicking call includes a rising, piping “ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-chikew…”.

Habitat. This secretive bird is found in the dense rainforests of Sri Lanka, where it adeptly navigates the thick undergrowth.

The diet of the Sri Lanka spurfowl is varied, including invertebrates such as mollusks and insects, as well as seeds, fallen fruit, and spiders. It forages by scratching through the leaf litter.