Formosan bamboo partridge, grey-breasted bamboo partridge

Detailed introduction

The Taiwan bamboo partridge ( scientific name: *Bambusicola sonorivox *) has a genus name composed of two parts: "Bambusi" meaning bamboo in Malay and "cola" meaning dwelling, which together refer to the species' preference for living in bamboo forests, perfectly matching its English name, Bamboo-partridge. The specific epithet "sonorivox" is also composed of two parts: "so-nori" meaning to make noise and "vox" meaning sound, together describing the bamboo partridge's frequent noise. It is a medium-sized, mostly brown terrestrial bird with a stone-grey crown, a deep orange throat, and rust-like spots on its sides and wings. Endemic to Taiwan, it inhabits lowland and foothill forests with dense understory and edge vegetation, making it difficult to observe. It forages on the ground, usually in pairs, sometimes in small groups. Its song is a continuous trill that gradually rises in pitch, reminiscent of a bathtub toy. The face and chest are gray, the throat is chestnut; the body is mostly brown with white spots on the back and gray feet. Males and females are the same color, making them difficult to distinguish. The body length is approximately 25 cm.

It inhabits forests at low to mid-altitudes in Taiwan, China . Formerly classified as the Grey-breasted Bamboo Partridge , it is gregarious, often found in groups of three to five in the woodlands, pecking at food, feeding on fruits, seeds, insects, and leaves. Its call sounds like "chicken dog darling~ chicken dog darling~". It rests in trees at night and is a poor flier.

The Formosan Bamboo Partridge was once a subspecies of the Grey-breasted Bamboo Partridge (Bambusi-cola thoracicus), which was widely distributed south of the Yangtze River in mainland China. However, based on differences in morphology, genetics, and call, the Formosan Bamboo Partridge was later elevated to a species. The difference between the two lies in the fact that the Formosan Bamboo Partridge has less chestnut-colored area on its face, chestnut-colored crescent-shaped stripes on its flanks, and a grayish hue on its waist and back.

The Formosan bamboo partridge is a common species in bamboo forests and shrublands at low altitudes of 300-1200 meters in Taiwan , and they prefer to live in family groups. At dawn and dusk, their loud calls, "Hey, hey, hey..." can often be heard. This species was once a traditional hunting bird, but is now strictly protected by law. The genus *Bamboo Partridge* and the genus *Gallus* are evolutionarily sister genera .

Listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012 ver 3.1. Also listed in the List of Terrestrial Wild Animals of Important Ecological, Scientific and Social Value.