Crimson-headed Partridge Haematortyx sanguiniceps Scientific name definitions

c. 25 cm; one male 330 g. Crimson head , neck and breast, as well as terminal portion of longest undertail-coverts, and otherwise blackish plumage very distinctive; bill yellow or yellowish white, irides brown with yellow orbital ring, and legs and feet grey with up to three tarsal spurs. Female lacks spurs; plumage generally browner black, with throat, neck and breast rufous orange; bill brownish horn. Juvenile duller, mostly dull blackish with brownish-orange head, mottled black crown, blackish-brown breast with rusty markings, and small red tips to wing-coverts.

Mountains of N Borneo.

Inhabits lower montane forest , including poor quality forest in sandy areas and alluvial forest (1 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ); recorded mainly between c. 1000 m and 1700 m, but rarely seen down to 185 m and up to 3050 m (1 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ).

Berries and insects, and also small crustaceans recorded in diet.

Song  a repeated double note “whu-kweng...whu-kweng..whu-kweng…”, with the second note harsh and loud. Also a harsh clucking series when excited, “whu-keng-keng-keng-kok-kok”.

Very poorly known. Earliest reported laying mid Jan, with young recorded in Apr and a male in breeding condition in mid Mar (1 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ). Nests in kerangas forest; nest is made of dry leaves, and situated in a tuft of grass or some similar situation. Lays 8–9 coffee milk-coloured eggs; incubation 18–19 days (in captivity).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Mace Lande: vulnerable. Previously considered Near Threatened. Locally common but range much reduced and population therefore assumed to be declining; anecdotal information and restricted range together suggest total of fewer than 10,000 individuals remain and prior to mid 1990s known from just 15 localities throughout range (2 McGowan, P., M. Gillman, and M. Dodd (1998). Assessing the status of poorly known species: lessons from partridges and pheasants of Southeast Asia. Biological Conservation 83(1):1–7. Close ), mostly in Sarawak and Sabah (1 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ). Density of c. 1 pair per 5·6 ha estimated in Kinabalu Park (Sabah) (1 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ). Status unknown in watershed regions of C Kalimantan, where species formerly occurred. Known from just one protected area in Kalimantan (Kayan Mentarang Nature Reserve) (1 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ), and comparatively few recent records from this area of the island, although recently recorded regularly in Menyapa Mts (3 Brickle, N. W., J. A. Eaton, and F. E. Rheindt (2010). A rapid bird survey of the Menyapa mountains, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Forktail 26:31–41. Close ); reported in Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak; occurs in Borneo Mountains Endemic Bird Area. Main causes of assumed population decline are loss and degradation of habitat. Not protected by Indonesian law.