Hill Partridge vs Bornean Peacock-Pheasant
Arborophila torqueola compared with Polyplectron schleiermacheri
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Hill Partridge | Bornean Peacock-Pheasant |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Arborophila torqueola | Polyplectron schleiermacheri |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Endangered |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 27.3 cm (10.7 in) | 37.4 cm (14.7 in) |
| Weight | 342.0 g (12.06 oz) | 512.0 g (18.06 oz) |
| Diet | Forages on Himalayan forest floor for seeds, invertebrates, and small fruits. Scratches leaf litter in … | Ground forager in Bornean lowland forest; eats seeds, fruits, invertebrates, and small animals. |
| Clutch Size | 3-9 | 1 |
| 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.
Bornean Peacock-Pheasant
Soft, plaintive 'kwii-kwii' whistle; rarely heard from Bornean lowland peat swamp. Poorly documented vocally. Alarm presumably a sharp 'kek'. Males produce soft calls during ocellated tail display.
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.
Bornean Peacock-Pheasant
Endemic to Borneo; resident of lowland and hill forest in Sabah, Sarawak, and Kalimantan; one of the rarest pheasants.
Conservation Status
Hill Partridge
Bornean Peacock-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.
Bornean Peacock-Pheasant
Male brown with dense small iridescent blue-green ocelli across wings and tail; reddish-pink orbital skin; white speckled face. Female similar but smaller; ocelli reduced and duller; brown overall.
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.
Bornean Peacock-Pheasant
One of the rarest Phasianidae pheasants (~512 g), endemic to lowland primary forests of Borneo. Males have brown plumage densely patterned with iridescent blue-green ocelli. Rarely observed; forages on seeds and invertebrates. Endangered due to rapid destruction of Bornean lowland forest; few confirmed recent records.