Black Partridge
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| iBlack Partridge | ||||||||||||||
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| Melanoperdix niger Vigors, 1829 |
The Black Partridge, Melanoperdix niger also known as Black Wood Partridge is a small, up to 27cm long, partridge with a thick bill, grey legs and dark brown iris. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Melanoperdix.
The Black Partridge is sexually dimorphic. The male has an all glossy black plumage and a black bill, while the female is generally a chestnut brown bird with a whitish throat and belly, and a dark horn colored bill. The female is smaller than the male.
The Black Partridge is distributed to lowland rainforests of Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra in southeast Asia. It was formerly found, and is long extinct now on Singapore. The female usually lays between five to six white eggs.
Due to ongoing habitat lost, small population size and hunted in some areas, the Black Partridge is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix III of CITES in Malaysia.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Melanoperdix niger. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 14 November 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable
