Taiwan Partridge

Overview

The Taiwan partridge, also known as the Taiwan hill partridge, is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae that is endemic to Taiwan. It is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, though it faces threats from habitat loss.

Identification

• Approximately 28 cm long with males weighing about 311 g and females about 212 g.
• Grey crown with black head sides, white eyebrow, chin, and eye patch, plus a black half collar and white throat.
• Olive-grey upperparts with black bars and rufous wings featuring three grey bars; blue-grey underparts with white flank streaks.
• Blue-grey beak, orange-red feet, black eyes with a narrow red ring, and a rising and falling series of gurru calls.

Habitat

Found exclusively in Taiwan's central and eastern mountains, this bird inhabits broadleaf forests, with a preference for thickets and undergrowth. It occurs at elevations ranging from 700 to 3,000 m, predominantly between 1,500 and 2,000 m.

Diet

Foraging in groups of two or three, it consumes a diet of earthworms, berries, seeds, seedlings, and insects.

Did you know?

The species name crudigularis derives from Latin words meaning 'bleeding' and 'throated', referencing a raw-looking red patch on the throat that the initial describer, Robert Swinhoe, mistaken for an injury.