Skip to main content

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.

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

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed Location :   Cent