Crested Partridge

Male Rollulus rouloul

Surprise! It's a theme week! (Or... two weeks-ish). I realized I haven't done one of these in ages and ages, and I was inspired by this years Cost of 12 Days of Christmas. So we're doing the song!

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a Partridge in a pear tree.


Well, we don't really cover plants here, so sorry Pear Tree. Partridge gets all the spotlight today!

Meet the Crested Partridge, a stunning little fellow found in Southeast Asia. The species is sexually dimorphic; males are black with brilliant red crests, while females are green with brown wings.

Female

Crested Partridges can be found in dense, lowland, forested areas. They need lots of cover to survive, as they both feed and nest on the ground. These birds are omnivores that consume fruits, nuts, insects, and snails, and there are even reports of them working with wild pigs, picking up the food bits that the hogs leave behind. They typically forage in pairs or groups, and are monogamous breeders (the fact that they live very social lives makes me sad that only one gets to go in the Pear Tree!). Both of the parents help to care for and feed the chicks, which are precocial.

Crested partridges are listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN. Habitat loss from the logging industry has decreased the numbers in some countries, though many of the birds do live within protected areas.

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IUCN Status : Near Threatened
Location : Southeast Asia
Size : Length up to 10in (25cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Galliformes
Family : Phasianidae -- Genus : Rollulus -- Species : R. rouloul