These birds are found in small coveys and are often detected only when they suddenly burst out into flight en masse from under vegetation.

The voice is a trill followed by a series of piping notes which start quiet and grow louder.

[3] The rock bush quail is native to the western half of India and is believed to be a non-migratory species.

It occurs in arid areas with scrubby grassland and thorny bushes and is seldom found above about 600 metres (2,000 ft).

Although the population has not been quantified, it is probably declining slowly, as the bird is subject to hunting pressure and destruction of its habitat.