White-faced Partridge vs Hill Partridge
Arborophila orientalis compared with Arborophila torqueola
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | White-faced Partridge | Hill Partridge |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Arborophila orientalis | Arborophila torqueola |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 28.5 cm (11.2 in) | 27.3 cm (10.7 in) |
| Weight | 310.5 g (10.95 oz) | 342.0 g (12.06 oz) |
| Diet | Eats seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits on floor of East Javan and Balinese montane forests. … | Forages on Himalayan forest floor for seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits. Scratches leaf litter in … |
| Clutch Size | 2-4 | 3-9 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
White-faced Partridge
Rising 'wheee-oo' whistle with clean, flute-like quality; calls from E Java mountains at dusk and dawn. Alarm produces sharp abrupt chips. Covey contact maintained with low rolling clucks.
Hill Partridge
Repeated melodic whistle 'wi-WHEEEOO' rising and falling; pairs often duet. Males sing from hillside undergrowth at dawn. Alarm is a sharp, emphatic 'kek' or staccato clucking.
Geographic Range & Migration
White-faced Partridge
Endemic to the Lesser Sunda Islands of eastern Java, Bali, and Lombok. Found in montane and lowland forest.
Hill Partridge
Resident in the Himalayas and hills of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and southern China at 1,000-3,500 m. Found in oak and rhododendron forest.
Conservation Status
White-faced Partridge
Hill Partridge
How to Tell Them Apart
White-faced Partridge
Brown above; face and throat strikingly white contrasting with dark crown and neck; breast grey; flanks olive-grey streaked white; bare reddish eye-ring; extensive white on face is immediately distinctive.
Hill Partridge
Male has orange-rufous face, white-spotted black throat collar, grey breast, and chestnut flanks streaked white on dark brown back. Female has brown face with buff streaking, less vivid collar.
About These Birds
White-faced Partridge
A medium-sized partridge (~310 g) of family Phasianidae, with a distinctive white face and scaly brown upperparts. Found in montane forests of eastern Java and Bali. Inhabits highland broadleaved forest at 800–2,500 m elevation. Forages secretively on the forest floor for seeds and invertebrates. Vulnerable; restricted to a small area of eastern Java and Bali with ongoing deforestation.
Hill Partridge
A medium-sized partridge (~340 g) of family Phasianidae, with intricate rufous, black, and white patterning and an orange-rufous head. Inhabits subtropical and montane broadleaved forests and bamboo thickets in the Himalayas from Pakistan to southwestern China. Forages on the forest floor for seeds, berries, and invertebrates. Least Concern; common in Himalayan foothills.