Long-billed Partridge
Rhizothera longirostris
Strange-looking and little-known partridge with a distinctive, faintly-hooked, dark bill. Male has a brownish-orange head and gray neck and chest. Female has a rusty-brown head and neck. Found in lowland and foothill forest; generally uncommon and patchy throughout range. Secretive, foraging quietly on the forest floor, rarely emerging into the open. Gives a loud, echoing “weeweew”.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Rhizothera longirostris
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1815)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Rhizothera
Range and habitat
It is found in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by habitat loss. There are two distinct subspecies; the nominate race R. l. longirostris is relatively widespread, while R. l. dulitensis, sometimes considered to be a full species known as the Dulit partridge or Hose's partridge (R. dulitensis), has a very restricted range in the mountains of central Borneo.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Red-crested Malkoha
Dasylophus superciliosus
A large, long-tailed bird of lowland and foothill forest. Blackish in plumage, with a bluish gloss on the back and a white tail tip. Note the wide red eye-ring, the yellow bill with red at the base, and the shaggy red crest from the crown. Forages in vine tangles for insects and other animal prey. Similar in size and shape to Scale-feathered Malkoha, but Red-crested lacks the obvious white hood. Call is a sharp “jok!”
Delicate Prinia
Prinia lepida
Tiny, disproportionately long-tailed, active, and vocal. The upperparts are gray-brown with heavy dark streaking, the underparts are pale, and each tail feather shows both pale and dark tips. Generally found in rather moist habitats within arid zones, including field margins, riparian woodland, scrub, gardens, and wetlands; can be quite numerous. Very vocal, especially in spring. The song is a rattling series of dry chirps, subtly different from the slower-paced song of Graceful Prinia. Males often sing from obvious perches. Visually extremely similar to Graceful Prinia, but there is little overlap in range. In any areas of overlap, best separated by song, but Delicate is also slightly longer- and narrower-tailed and browner.
Fan-tailed Grassbird
Catriscus brevirostris
Oddly shaped warbler with a long, broad tail and a flat-topped head. Watch under the tail for a series of buffy crescents at the tip of each progressively shorter tail feather. Found in thick, wet grassland. Usually very skulky, except when perched out after a rain, or in display flight. Song is a slowly repeated whistle. Dull coloration could make for confusion with other warblers, but the shape is distinctive.
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