| Black partridge | |
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Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Subfamily: | Rollulinae |
| Genus: | Melanoperdix Jerdon, 1864 |
| Species: | M. niger |
| Binomial name | |
| Melanoperdix niger (Vigors, 1829) | |
Theblack partridge (Melanoperdix niger), also known as theblack wood partridge, is a small (up to 27 cm long)partridge with a thickbill, grey legs and dark browniris. It is the only member of the monotypic genusMelanoperdix.
The black partridge issexually dimorphic. The male has entirely 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 occurs in lowland rainforests ofPeninsular Malaysia,Borneo andSumatra insoutheast Asia. It was formerly found but is long extinct onSingapore. The female usually lays five to six white eggs.
Due to ongoinghabitat loss, small population size andoverhunting in some areas, the black partridge is evaluated asVulnerable on theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix III ofCITES inMalaysia.
The black partridge has two recognized subspecies:[2]
Genera oflandfowl and their extinct allies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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