Orange-necked Partridge

Appearance

The orange-necked partridge is about 27 cm long and weighs about 241 g. The forehead and crown are dusky, and the nape is mottled brown. A black band extends from the beak to the sides of the neck, and a whitish band extends from the eye to the neck-sides, becoming orange. There is also a black breast-band. The chin is pale buff, and the throat is rusty-orange. The breast is olive-brown, and the belly is greyish and whitish. The flanks have black and white scallops. The back and rump are olive-brown, with dark brown bars. The wing coverts have black and grey bands. The eyes are brown, the beak is black, and the legs are pinkish.

Distribution

The orange-necked partridge is found in southern Vietnam and a small area in Mondulkiri, Cambodia.

Status

After its discovery in 1927, the orange-necked partridge was "lost" until its 1991 rediscovery in Cát Tiên National Park. Subsequent surveys have found it in several sites in Vietnam, possibly because of improved survey techniques. It was first recorded in Cambodia in 2002, using a camera trap, and later records in Cambodia have all been in the same site. The IUCN assessed it as a critically endangered species, downlisting to endangered in 2000 and to near threatened in 2009. The population is estimated to be nearly 10,000. It is threatened by logging, forest clearance and hunting. The population is declining, but the decline is probably not rapid because the bird seems to tolerate some forest degradation, so it is assessed as near threatened even though its population and range are both small.

In 2000, the orange-necked partridge appeared on a national stamp of Vietnam.

Behavior

Little is known about this partridge's behaviour. The territorial calls are a repeated, accelerating "prruu", becoming "pwi" at higher pitches, and also a series of fast "tu" notes. In duets, the other bird responds with "tchew-tchew-tchew". The alarm call is a "pher" or "phu".

Habitat

It lives in forest in hills at elevations of 120–600 m, preferring bamboos. It also occurs in some disturbed habitats, including scrubs, bamboos and logged plantations. In Vietnam, it occurs in several national parks and state forest enterprises. All of the individuals recorded in a 2005 survey lived less than 2 km from water.