Rufous-throated partridge

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Rufous-throated partridge
Rufous-throated Partridge 0A2A9937.jpg
Photograph taken near Da Lat in Vietnam
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Arborophila
Species:
A. rufogularis
Binomial name
Arborophila rufogularis
(Blyth, 1849)
Synonyms

Arboricola rufogularisBlyth, 1849 (protonym)

The rufous-throated partridge (Arborophila rufogularis) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in montane forests in India and Southeast Asia. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.

Contents

Taxonomy

The rufous-throated partridge was formally described in 1849 by the English zoologist Edward Blyth based on birds from the Darjeeling district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India. He coined the binomial name Arboricola rufogularis where the specific epithet combines the Latin rufus meaning "red" with the Modern Latin gularis meaning "throated". [2] [3] [4] The rufous-throated partridge is now one of 19 partridge species placed in the genus Arborophila that was introduced by Brian Hodgson in 1837. [5]

Six subspecies are recognized: [5]

Description

The rufous-throated partridge is 26–29 cm (10–11 in) long. The male weighs 325–430 g (11.5–15.2 oz) and the female weighs 261–386 g (9.2–13.6 oz). The male has a grey forehead. The olive-brown crown and nape have black mottles. There are a whitish supercilium and moustachial curves. The throat and neck-sides are orange-rufous, with black speckles. The breast and flanks are blue-grey. The upper belly is blue-grey and the central belly is whitish. The vent is buffy-brown. The mantle, back and rump are olive-brown. The scapulars and wing coverts have chestnut, black and greyish bands. The beak is dusky-brown or blackish, and the legs are pinkish or crimson. The female is similar to the male. The juvenile bird is duller below, and its crown and flanks have brown and black vermiculations. The subspecies have different patterns on their throats. [6]

Distribution and habitat

The rufous-throated partridge is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. [1] Its natural habitat is montane forests, mainly at elevations of 1,800–3,000 metres (5,900–9,800 ft). Oak forests containing laurels and rhododendrons are preferred. [6]

Behaviour

This partridge feeds in groups of five to ten birds. It eats seeds, plant shoots, berries, insects and snails. Surprised birds run or fly, sometimes flying to branches like some thrushes. Birds in a covey roost and huddle together in trees, similar to babblers. [6] Breeding has been recorded from April to July in India and from February to May in China. The male builds a scrape in bamboo, forest undergrowth or along water. The nest is lined or padded with grass. Three to five white eggs are laid. [6] The rufous-throated partridge gives a rising series of hu-hu whistles. In a duet, the partner's call is kew-kew-kew. [7]

Status

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that the species's population is declining because of habitat destruction and unsustainable hunting, but the decline is not rapid, and the range is large, so the IUCN has assessed it as a least-concern species. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Partridge</span> Common name for a type of bird

A partridge is a medium-sized galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They are sometimes grouped in the Perdicinae subfamily of the Phasianidae. However, molecular research suggests that partridges are not a distinct taxon within the family Phasianidae, but that some species are closer to the pheasants, while others are closer to the junglefowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood pheasant</span> Species of bird

The blood pheasant or blood partridge is a galliforme bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae and the only species in the genus Ithaginis. It is a relatively small, short-tailed pheasant that is widespread in the lower Himalayas ranging across North and East India, Nepal, Bhutan, South China and northern Myanmar. It has been classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2009, and the global blood pheasant population is thought to be stable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-breasted partridge</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-breasted partridge is a partridge species endemic to the eastern Himalayas north of the Brahmaputra, and occurs in Bhutan, Darjeeling, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and south-eastern Tibet at elevations from 350 to 2,500 m. It is listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List, as the estimated population comprises less than 10,000 individuals. It is threatened by forest degradation and by hunting. It is known from at least three protected areas, including Singalila National Park and Namdapha National Park. The scientific name commemorates the Italian naturalist Louis Mandelli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-bellied partridge</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-bellied partridge also known as chestnut-bellied hill-partridge or Javan hill-partridge is a small, up to 28 cm long, partridge with a rufous crown and nape, red legs, grey breast, brown wings, red facial skin, and a black mask, throat and bill. It has a rufous belly with white on the middle. The sexes are similar. The young has a whitish face and a reddish brown bill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hainan partridge</span> Species of bird

The Hainan partridge is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is endemic to Hainan Island, China. Its natural habitats are primary evergreen forests. It is threatened by habitat loss and has been assessed as a vulnerable species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bar-backed partridge</span> Species of bird

The bar-backed partridge, also known as the brown-breasted hill-partridge, is a species of partridge in the family Phasianidae. It is found in southwestern China and Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-necklaced partridge</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-necklaced partridge is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in forests in the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. It is threatened by habitat loss and trapping. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as vulnerable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taiwan partridge</span> Species of bird

The Taiwan partridge or Taiwan hill partridge is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found only in Taiwan, and its natural habitat is broadleaf forests. It is threatened by habitat loss, but at present is categorised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as being of least concern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange-necked partridge</span> Species of bird

The orange-necked partridge is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in eastern Cambodia and southern Vietnam. Its habitats are lowland forests, shrubland, and plantations. It was described in 1927 and rediscovered in 1991. It is threatened by habitat loss, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a near-threatened species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-necklaced partridge</span> Species of bird

The white-necklaced partridge, also known as the collared partridge or Rickett's hill-partridge, is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is endemic to southeastern China. It is threatened by habitat loss and hunting, and the IUCN has assessed it as near-threatened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-breasted partridge</span> Species of bird

The red-breasted partridge, also known as the Bornean hill-partridge, is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is endemic to hill and montane forest in Borneo, preferring bamboos and thickets. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hill partridge</span> Species of bird

The common hill partridge, necklaced hill partridge, or simply hill partridge is a species of bird in the pheasant family found in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale blue flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The pale blue flycatcher is a bird in the family Muscicapidae. The species was first described by Edward Blyth in 1843.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-gorgeted flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The rufous-gorgeted flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-chinned laughingthrush</span> Species of bird

The rufous-chinned laughingthrush is a bird species in the family Leiothrichidae. It ranges across the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent and some parts of Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-chinned minivet</span> Species of bird

The grey-chinned minivet is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is found from the Himalayas to China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Its natural habitat is forests about 1,000–2,000 m (3,300–6,600 ft) in elevation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-throated babbler</span> Species of bird

The grey-throated babbler is a species of passerine bird in the Old World babbler family Timaliidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stripe-breasted woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The stripe-breasted woodpecker is a species of bird in the woodpecker family, Picidae. It is found in Southeast Asia within subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perdicinae</span> Subfamily of birds

Perdicinae is a polyphyletic former subfamily of birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae, regrouping the partridges, Old World quails, and francolins. Although this subfamily was considered monophyletic and separated from the pheasants, tragopans, junglefowls, and peafowls (Phasianinae) till the early 1990s, molecular phylogenies have shown that these two subfamilies actually constitute only one lineage. For example, some partridges are more closely affiliated to pheasants, whereas Old World quails and partridges from the Alectoris genus are closer to junglefowls. Due to this, the subfamily Perdicinae is no longer recognized by the International Ornithological Congress, with the species being split among 3 subfamilies.

References

  1. 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2016). "Arborophila rufogularis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22679020A92798815. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22679020A92798815.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. Blyth, Edward (1849). "A supplemental note to the Catalogue of the Birds in the Asiatic Society's Museum". Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 18: 800–821 [819].
  3. Peters, James Lee, ed. (1934). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 2. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 99.
  4. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 342. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  5. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (December 2023). "Pheasants, partridges, francolins". IOC World Bird List Version 14.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Madge, Steve; McGowan, Phil (2010). Pheasants, Partridges & Grouse: Including buttonquails, sandgrouse and allies. Bloomsbury. pp. 255–256. ISBN   9781408135655.
  7. MacKinnon, John; Phillipps, Karen (2000). A Field Guide to the Birds of China . Oxford University Press. p.  38. ISBN   9780198549406.