A Complete Picture Guide to Partridge Species: Meet All the Varieties of Partridge
The partridge is a bird of the genus Francolinus in the family Phasianidae. It resembles a chicken in shape but is smaller, with plumage mostly a mix of black and white, most notably the eye-like white spots on the back, chest and belly. It mostly lives in grassy or shrubby areas of hills and mountains, feeding eagerly on grasshoppers, ants and other insects, and also eating wild fruits, weed seeds and tender plant shoots. Below, let us take a look at the complete picture guide to partridge species!
Chinese Francolin
The Chinese francolin is also known as the Chinese partridge, Yue zhi, Huainan partridge and so on. It has striking white spots on the nape, upper back, underparts and both wings, with white barring on the back and tail, a black head with chestnut eyebrow stripes, a broad white band running from below the eye to the ear coverts, and a white chin and throat. The female resembles the male, but the underparts are buffy yellow with black spots and the upperparts are mostly brownish. The iris is reddish brown, the bill nearly black, and the legs yellow. It is mostly active in shrubland on low hills, sometimes foraging in groups of 3 to 5. Its claws are strong and it is good at walking on the ground; though it does not fly often, it flies very fast. It feeds mainly on insects such as grasshoppers and ants. Its range is mainly within China, and abroad it is found in India, Myanmar, Thailand and the Indochina region.
Black Francolin
The black francolin is a species of bird. The male's plumage is made up of black, brown, chestnut and white in colourful, very striking patterns, and both males and females can give harsh calls that carry a long way. It feeds on seeds, tender shoots and flower buds, and also preys on insects, worms and other invertebrates. It is distributed in southern Eurasia, from Cyprus and eastern Turkey extending to Pakistan and eastern India.
Painted Francolin
The painted francolin is a bird of the genus Francolinus, found in central and southern India and in the lowlands of southeastern Sri Lanka, and it is easily spotted because it calls loudly during the breeding season. The painted francolin perches in trees but is sometimes on the ground, eating grass seeds as well as cultivated rice grains, beetles and other insects, and also eating plant tubers.
Swamp Francolin
The swamp francolin is easily distinguished from ordinary partridges, the biggest difference being its relatively long legs. Its habitat differs from that of other partridges; it is generally found near rivers and at the edges of swamps in tall grass and sugarcane fields, and it also enters fodder crop fields to forage. It is distributed in the alluvial plains of the Ganges and the Yarlung Zangbo rivers. Similar to the grey francolin, it is also good at calling and is likewise just as aggressive.
Grey Francolin
The grey francolin is a bird of the genus Francolinus in the family Phasianidae. It resembles a chicken in shape but is smaller, with plumage mostly a mix of black and white, most notably the eye-like white spots on the back, chest and belly. It is distributed in the Indian subcontinent and the southwestern region of China, including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and the southeastern region of Tibet in China.
American Partridge
The American partridge is not a partridge; it generally refers to the chukar partridge, a bird of the genus Alectoris in the family Phasianidae. Its upperparts are purplish brown, its chest grey, its belly brownish yellow, and each flank has more than ten parallel bars of black and chestnut. It inhabits rocky slopes and sandy-stony slopes in low hill country, as well as plains, grasslands and deserts. It is fond of flocking and feeds on the tender shoots, tender leaves, berries, seeds of herbaceous plants and shrubs, as well as moss, lichen and insects. It is distributed in Europe, Siberia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and China.
Note: Besides the species introduced above, partridges also include the chestnut-headed francolin, white-throated francolin, chestnut-throated francolin, forest francolin, crested francolin, ring-necked francolin, Finsch's francolin, red-winged francolin, grey-winged francolin, highland francolin, Shelley's francolin, orange-winged francolin, scaly francolin, brown-capped francolin, grey-striped francolin, Nahan's francolin, Hartlaub's francolin, double-spurred francolin, yellow-billed francolin, red-eyed francolin, Heuglin's francolin, red-billed francolin, South African francolin, Natal francolin, Hildebrandt's francolin, yellow-necked francolin, painted francolin, red-throated francolin, Swierstra's francolin, Kenyan francolin, handsome francolin, Cameroon francolin, Schlegel's francolin, chestnut-naped francolin, brown-capped francolin, pale-bellied francolin and others.