Red-breasted Partridge
Arborophila hyperythra
Brightly-marked forest gamebird of Borneo’s central mountains. Combination of bright black-and-white side scaling and warm orange head and breast are unique. Like other Arborophila partridges, forages in dense undergrowth in forested areas, and is more readily heard than seen; the ringing repetitive song is a series of short whistles, often given as a duet.
Identification
The red-breasted partridge is about 27 cm (11 in) long and weighs about 270 g (9.5 oz). The crown and nape are blackish, with brown spots. There is a grey or rufous supercilium, and a blackish-brown band goes through the eye. The cheeks and throat are rufous. The breast is bright chestnut, sometimes browner, and the belly is whitish. The flanks are black and white. The upperparts are brown, with blackish bars. The eyes are grey, the beak is black, and the legs are pink. There is red bare skin around the throat, usually covered by sparse feathers. The female bird's plumage is a little duller than the male's.
Taxonomy
Richard Bowdler Sharpe described this species as Bambusicola hyperythra in 1879, from specimens collected in northwestern Borneo by William Hood Treacher, who was Acting Governor of Labuan at that time. In 1890, Sharpe described the population on Mount Kinabalu as Bambusicola erythrophrys. It was formerly considered a subspecies, but it has been suggested that the brighter plumage on the face is due to age differences. The species is currently considered monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Arborophila hyperythra
- Authority
- (Sharpe, 1879)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Arborophila
Range and habitat
This partridge is endemic to north-central Borneo, including parts of Sabah, Sarawak, North Kalimantan and northern Central Kalimantan. It lives in primary and secondary forests at elevations of 600–1,800 m (2,000–5,900 ft) and prefers bamboos and thickets.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The red-breasted partridge feeds in groups, foraging in thickets, on forest roads and near rivers. Its diet consists of seeds, fruits and insects. It roosts in bushes. Its call is a duet, one bird giving rising chu notes and the other falling cuckoo notes. Its breeding is poorly known.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Chilean Pigeon
Patagioenas araucana
Only large native pigeon in its range. Locally fairly common in temperate rainforest, farmland with wooded patches, and matorral with taller trees. Feeds from treetops to ground, sometimes in roadside fields; often in flocks. Plumage dark overall with narrow white hindneck collar, bright red feet, and broad pale gray tip on tail. Compare with the variable Rock Pigeon, which is usually around people and most have white underwings in flight unlike the dark grayish underwings on Chilean Pigeon.
Dark-throated Seedeater
Sporophila ruficollis
A small finchlike bird with a short and stubby bill. Males are a striking combination of gray, black and a rich cinnamon color. Males have a black breast and cheeks, a cinnamon belly, and a gray helmet that becomes brownish towards the back. Male “melanops” morphs have a black hood and are olive-brown above and pale below. Females are olive-brown above and buff below. Both sexes have a white wing spot that is not found in the “melanops” morph. Inhabits mature grasslands, usually near water, where it is often seen in flocks with others seedeaters during migration.
Crested Goshawk
Lophospiza trivirgata
Powerfully built hawk of forests, especially hilly woods. Namesake crest is usually held low and not very visible. Adult has a gray head, brown wings, whitish underparts with thick orange-brown stripes in belly and streaks in breast, and white throat with black borders. Juvenile similar but with brown head, sparingly marked underparts, and very short crest. Appears stockier and relatively shorter-tailed in flight than other accipiters. Flying adults may also show a fluffy white clump of feathers on both sides of the tail.
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