Hill Partridge vs Salvadori's Pheasant
Arborophila torqueola compared with Lophura inornata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Hill Partridge | Salvadori's Pheasant |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Arborophila torqueola | Lophura inornata |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Near Threatened |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 27.3 cm (10.7 in) | 41.9 cm (16.5 in) |
| Weight | 342.0 g (12.06 oz) | 685.0 g (24.16 oz) |
| Diet | Forages on Himalayan forest floor for seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits. Scratches leaf litter in … | Ground forager; takes seeds, fruits, invertebrates, and small animals in Sumatran montane forests. |
| Clutch Size | 3-9 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
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.
Salvadori's Pheasant
Infrequently recorded 'kak-kak' alarm calls; Sumatran montane endemic. Vocally poorly known. Contact between birds presumably low guttural clucks. Flushed birds produce loud wing clatter.
Geographic Range & Migration
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.
Salvadori's Pheasant
Endemic to Sumatra; resident of primary and secondary montane forest between 600 and 2,100 m elevation.
Conservation Status
Hill Partridge
Salvadori's Pheasant
How to Tell Them Apart
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.
Salvadori's Pheasant
Male uniformly dark olive-brown with slight greenish gloss; blue orbital skin; no crest; unadorned appearance relative to other Lophura. Female slightly paler rufous-brown; both sexes lack vivid markings.
About These Birds
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.
Salvadori's Pheasant
A medium-sized Phasianidae pheasant (~685 g) restricted to montane forests of Sumatra above 1,000 m. Both sexes are sombre dark brown, the male with a finely laced pale pattern. Little studied; forages on seeds and invertebrates on forest floor. Near Threatened from montane forest loss in Sumatra.