Hill Partridge vs Silver Pheasant
Arborophila torqueola compared with Lophura nycthemera
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Hill Partridge | Silver Pheasant |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Arborophila torqueola | Lophura nycthemera |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 27.3 cm (10.7 in) | 51.0 cm (20.1 in) |
| Weight | 342.0 g (12.06 oz) | 1345.0 g (47.44 oz) |
| Diet | Forages on Himalayan forest floor for seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits. Scratches leaf litter in … | Feeds on seeds, berries, roots, invertebrates, and small animals; scratches forest floor in SE Asian … |
| Clutch Size | 3-9 | 6-12 |
| 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.
Silver Pheasant
Loud 'kork-KORK' crowing calls from SE Asian mountain forest; sharper and crisper than Common Pheasant. Alarm is explosive cackle. Wing-drumming audible at dawn. Contact clucks soft and guttural.
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.
Silver Pheasant
Resident of forest and secondary growth in southern China, mainland Southeast Asia from Myanmar to Vietnam, and Hainan; at sea level to 2,000 m.
Conservation Status
Hill Partridge
Silver 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.
Silver Pheasant
Male striking white above with dense black vermiculations; glossy blue-black below; long white tail; black crest; red facial wattle. Female uniformly dark brown above; buff below with dark streaking.
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.
Silver Pheasant
A large, elegant Phasianidae pheasant (~1.35 kg) of mainland Southeast Asia and southern China. Males are strikingly patterned with a white-laced upper body, glossy black underparts, red facial skin, and a long white tail. Inhabits montane and foothill forests. Omnivorous diet; popular in aviculture. Least Concern.