Crested partridge

Crested partridge
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Galliformes
Family:	Phasianidae
Subfamily:	Perdicinae
Genus:	Rollulus Bonnaterre, 1791
Species:	R. rouloul
Binomial name
Rollulus rouloul (Scopoli, 1786)

The crested partridge (Rollulus rouloul) also known as the crested wood partridge, roul-roul, red-crowned wood partridge, green wood quail or green wood partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is the only member of the genus Rollulus.

This small partridge is a resident breeder in lowland rainforests in south Burma, south Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. Its nest is a ground scrape lined with leaves, which is concealed under a heap of leaf litter. Five or six white eggs are incubated for 18 days.

Unusually for a galliform species, the young are fed bill-to-bill by both parents instead of pecking from the ground, and although precocial, they roost in the nest while small.

Crested partridge is a rotund short-tailed bird, 25 cm in length, with the male marginally larger than the female. Both sexes have a scarlet patch of bare skin around the eye and red legs without a spur or hind toe.

The male is metallic green above with glossy dark blue underparts and a brownish wing panel. The head is adorned with a tall red crest, a white forehead spot and black frontal bristles. The female has pea-green body plumage apart from the brown wing coverts. She has a slate-grey head with the bristles but no spot or crest. The bill is all-dark. Young birds are duller versions of the adult of the same sex. The song is a mournful whistled si-ul.

The crested partridge is usually seen singly or in pairs as it uses its feet to probe the forest floor for fruit, seeds and invertebrates. When disturbed, it prefers to run but if necessary it flies a short distance on its rounded wings.

There is some concern about the effect of habitat destruction on this bird, especially with regard to logging. However, it seems to be somewhat more adaptable than other southeast Asian pheasants. The crested wood partridge is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix III of CITES.

Gallery

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  captive red crested male with two females

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  Male at Toronto Zoo

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  Male at Toronto Zoo, Canada

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  Female at Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

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  Egg of Rollulus rouloul - MHNT

References

• Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse by Madge and McGowan, ISBN 0-7136-3966-0

External links

• ARKive - images and movies of the Crested Wood Partridge (Rollulus rouloul)
• BirdLife Species Factsheet
• Red Data Book