A small species of quail 15–18 cm (5.9–7.1 in) long and weighing 57–82 g (2.0–2.9 oz), it shows significant sexual dimorphism.

The face is mainly dark reddish-brown, with brown ear-coverts, a buffy-white moustachial stripe, and the supercilium turning whitish towards the back of the neck.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers the jungle bush quail to be of least concern due to its large range and stable population.

The jungle bush quail was originally described as Perdix asiatica by John Latham in 1790 based on specimens from the "Mahratta region".

[3] The generic name Perdicula is a Modern Latin diminutive of the genus Perdix, and means "small partridge".

Adult males have a dull brown mantle, back, scapulars and wings, with buff streaking and blackish-brown blotches.

[7] The species shows significant sexual dimorphism, with females having dull pinkish-brown underparts, more uniform and less barred wings with less blotching, and duller moustachial stripes.

The latter species is less sexually dimorphic and differs in the pattern of the eyestripe, which is shorter and whiter, and the throat, which is reddish-white with a white moustachial stripe.

[7][8] The jungle bush quail is native to the Indian subcontinent, where it is found throughout peninsular India north to Gujarat, Odisha, and the Kashmir foothills, along with Sri Lanka.

[7][8][9] It inhabits dry areas with shrubby or rocky cover, in habitats ranging from thin grasslands to dense deciduous forests.

[7][8] The jungle bush quail is typically seen in groups of 6–25 birds (called coveys) while dust bathing on tracks or foraging in grassland.

Coveys walk along well-trodden paths to drink in the morning and evening, and create tunnel-like tracks through tall grass while doing so.

[7][8] The jungle bush quail feeds on seeds, such as those of grass, weeds, gram, and millets, along with small insects like termites and their larvae.

[1] It is generally common throughout India, although it is reported to be uncommon in Kerala, and locally in extinct in parts of Gujarat and in Uttara Kannada, Karnataka.