Crested Partridge

Overview

The crested partridge, also known as the crested wood partridge, is a small gamebird in the pheasant family and the only member of the genus Rollulus. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and listed on Appendix III of CITES.

Identification

• A rotund, short-tailed bird approximately 25 cm long, with males being marginally larger than females.
• Males feature metallic green upperparts, glossy dark blue underparts, and a tall red crest, while females have pea-green bodies and a slate-grey head with black frontal bristles but no crest.
• Both sexes possess a scarlet patch of bare skin around the eye, red legs without a spur or hind toe, and an all-dark bill.
• The song is described as a mournful whistled si-ul.

Habitat

This species is a resident breeder in lowland rainforests across south Burma, south Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo. Its nest consists of a ground scrape lined with leaves and concealed under a heap of leaf litter.

Diet

The crested partridge forages by probing the forest floor with its feet for fruit, seeds, and invertebrates. It is usually seen singly or in pairs and tends to run rather than fly when disturbed, though it can manage short flights on its rounded wings if necessary.

Did you know?

Unusually for a galliform species, the young are fed bill-to-bill by both parents rather than pecking food from the ground themselves. Although the chicks are precocial, they still roost in the nest while small.