Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse: Including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies

489 Pages·2002·34.49 MB·English

by  Steve Madge

PHEASANTS,
PARTRIDGES
AND GROUSE
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PHEASANTS,
PARTRIDGES
AND GROUSE
A GUIDE TO THE PHEASANTS,
PARTRIDGES, QUAILS, GROUSE,
GUINEAFOWL, BUTTONQUAILS
AND SANDGROUSE OF THE WORLD
STEVE MADGE AND PHIL MCGOWAN
WITH GUY M. KIRWAN
ILLUSTRATEDBY
NORMAN ARLOTT, ROBIN BUDDEN, DANIEL COLE,
JOHN COX, CARL D’SILVA, KIM FRANKLIN AND DAVID MEAD
CHRISTOPHER HELM
LONDON
First published 2002 by Christopher Helm Publishers, an imprint of A&C Black Publishers
Ltd, 36 Soho Square, London W1D 3QY. Reprinted 2010.
Digital editions published 2010
Copyright © 2002 text by Steve Madge and Phil McGowan
Copyright © 2002 illustrations by Norman Arlott (6–17, 48), Robin Budden (4–5, 18, 62, 64),
Daniel Cole (1–3, 22–23, 30, 34–38, 56–59), John Cox (69–72), Carl D’Silva (20–21, 24–28,
40–42, 47, 49–52, 54–55), Kim Franklin (33, 43–46, 65–68) and David Mead (19, 29, 31–32,
39, 53, 60–61, 63)
The right of Steve Madge and Phil McGowan to be identified as the authors of this work has
been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
ISBN (print) 978-0-7136-3966-7
ISBN (epub) 978-1-4081-3566-2
ISBN (e-pdf) 978-1-4081-3565-5
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any
means – photographic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or
information storage or retrieval systems – without permission of the publishers.
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C
ONTENTS
PREFACE 7
SYSTEMATIC LIST OF SPECIES 8
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 15
INTRODUCTION 17
STYLE AND LAYOUT OF THE BOOK 19
TOPOGRAPHY 21
GLOSSARY 23
COLOUR PLATES AND MAPS 25
SYSTEMATIC SECTION 171
BIBLIOGRAPHY 463
INDEX 476
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P
REFACE
The birds covered by this volume are essentially the former, enlarged family Phasianidae (pheasants,
quails, francolins, partridges, grouse, guineafowls and turkeys). At an early stage of the project, it was
decided to include the much-neglected buttonquails as, despite their rather distant relationship with the
Phasianidae (they are actually closer to the cranes), they are quail-like in behaviour and appearance. The
unique Plains-wanderer was also included for similar reasons, although it is now considered to be an aber-
rant wader. Likewise, that wonderful group, the sandgrouse—also recently considered to be allied to the
shorebirds, rather than to pigeons—were included, as they had long been traditionally linked.
Modern systematic studies, aided by DNA-DNA hybridisation techniques, now provide a clearer pic-
ture of the relationships between the various subfamilies of the Phasianidae.Most notable among these
is the elevation of the New World Quails to family status, the Odontophoridae. Similarly, grouse,
guineafowl and turkeys are now all generally deemed worthy of family status, rather than being regard-
ed as subfamilies.
Members of these groups are often popularly referred to as ‘gamebirds’. However, this is a vague term
and, quite apart from it being politically incorrect, is generally applied to cover all ‘quarry’ species,
from bustards to pigeons and ducks. Gallinaceous or Galliform birds are much more acceptable names
for the grouping, but fail to roll off the tongue quite so easily.
Two families of gallinaceous birds are not covered by this work: the Neotropical Cracidae (which com-
prises over 50 species of guans, chachalacas and curassows), and the primarily Australasian Megapodiidae
(comprising more than 20 species of megapodes, scrubfowl and brush-turkeys). To have included
them would have taken the project beyond the limits of feasibility, and both groups would have required
additional specialised expertise to do them justice.
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S L S
YSTEMATIC IST OF PECIES
Plate Page
ORDERGALLIFORMES
FamilyPHASIANIDAE Pheasants and partridges
SubfamilyPERDICINAE Partridges, quails and spurfowl
GenusLerwa
1 Snow Partridge Lerwa lerwa 1 171
GenusTetraophasis
2 Verreaux’s Monal-partridge Tetraophasis obscurus 3 172
3 Szechenyi’s Monal-partridge Tetraophasis szechenyii 3 173
GenusTetraogallus
4 Caucasian Snowcock Tetraogallus caucasicus 2 174
5 Caspian Snowcock Tetraogallus caspius 2 175
6 Himalayan Snowcock Tetraogallus himalayensis 3 177
7 Tibetan Snowcock Tetraogallus tibetanus 3 178
8 Altai Snowcock Tetraogallus altaicus 2 179
GenusAmmoperdix
9 See-see Partridge Ammoperdix griseogularis 1 180
10 Sand Partridge Ammoperdix heyi 1 182
GenusAlectoris
11 Arabian Partridge Alectorismelanocephala 5 183
12 Barbary Partridge Alectorisbarbara 5 184
13 Philby’s Partridge Alectorisphilbyi 5 185
14 Chukar Alectorischukar 4 186
15 Rock Partridge Alectorisgraeca 4 188
16 Przewalski’s Partridge Alectorismagna 4 190
17 Red-legged Partridge Alectorisrufa 5 191
GenusFrancolinus
SubgenusFrancolinus
18 Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus 7 193
19 Painted Francolin Francolinus picta 7 195
20 Chinese Francolin Francolinus pintadeanus 7 195
21 Grey Francolin Francolinus pondicerianus 6 196
22 Swamp Francolin Francolinus gularis 6 197
SubgenusPeliperdix
23 Coqui Francolin Francolinus coqui 9 198
24 White-throated Francolin Francolinus albogularis 9 199
25 Schlegel’s Francolin Francolinus schlegelii 9 200
26 Latham’s Francolin Francolinus lathami 8 201
27 Crested Francolin Francolinus sephaena 8 202
SubgenusScleroptila
28 Ring-necked Francolin Francolinus streptophorus 8 203
29 Finsch’s Francolin Francolinus finschi 11 203
30 Greywing Francolin Francolinus africanus 11 204
31 Redwing Francolin Francolinus levaillantii 11 205
32 Moorland Francolin Francolinus psilolaemus 10 206
33 Shelley’s Francolin Francolinus shelleyi 10 207
34 Orange River Francolin Francolinus levalliantoides 10 208
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Plate Page
SubgenusAcentrortyx
35 Nahan’s Francolin Francolinus nahani 8 209
SubgenusPternistis
36 Hartlaub’s Francolin Francolinus hartlaubi 11 210
37 Double-spurred Francolin Francolinus bicalcaratus 14 211
38 Clapperton’s Francolin Francolinus clappertoni 14 212
39 Heuglin’s Francolin Francolinus icterorhynchus 14 212
40 Harwood’s Francolin Francolinus harwoodi 14 213
41 Red-billed Francolin Francolinus adspersus 13 213
42 Cape Francolin Francolinus capensis 13 214
43 Hildebrandt’s Francolin Francolinus hildebrandti 13 215
44 Natal Francolin Francolinus natalensis 13 215
45 Ahanta Francolin Francolinus ahantensis 12 216
46 Scaly Francolin Francolinus squamatus 12 217
47 Grey-striped Francolin Francolinus griseostriatus 12 218
48 Yellow-necked Francolin Francolinus leucoscepus 17 219
49 Grey-breasted Francolin Francolinus rufopictus 17 219
50 Red-necked Francolin Francolinus afer 17 220
51 Swainson’s Francolin Francolinus swainsonii 17 221
52 Erckel’s Francolin Francolinus erckelii 16 222
53 Djibouti Francolin Francolinus ochropectus 16 223
54 Chestnut-naped Francolin Francolinus castaneicollis 15 224
55 Handsome Francolin Francolinus nobilis 15 225
56 Jackson’s Francolin Francolinus jacksoni 15 225
57 Mount Cameroon Francolin Francolinus camerunensis 12 226
58 Swierstra’s Francolin Francolinus swierstrai 16 227
GenusPerdix
59 Grey Partridge Perdix perdix 18 228
60 Daurian Partridge Perdix dauurica 18 229
61 Tibetan Partridge Perdix hodgsoniae 18 230
GenusRhizothera
62 Long-billed Partridge Rhizothera longirostris 19 232
GenusMargaroperdix
63 Madagascar Partridge Margaroperdix madagarensis 19 233
GenusMelanoperdix
64 Black Wood-partridge Melanoperdix nigra 19 234
GenusCoturnix
65 Common Quail Coturnix coturnix 20 235
66 Japanese Quail Coturnix japonica 20 236
67 Stubble Quail Coturnix pectoralis 20 238
68 New Zealand Quail Coturnix novaezelandiae 20 239
69 Rain Quail Coturnix coromandelica 20 240
70 Harlequin Quail Coturnix delegorguei 21 241
71 Brown Quail Coturnix ypsilophora 21 242
72 Blue Quail Coturnix adansonii 21 244
73 King Quail Coturnix chinensis 21 245
GenusAnurophasis
74 Snow Mountain Quail Anurophasis monorthonyx 1 246
GenusPerdicula
75 Jungle Bush-quail Perdicula asiatica 22 247
76 Rock Bush-quail Perdicula argoondah 22 248
77 Painted Bush-quail Perdicula erythrorhyncha 22 249
78 Manipur Bush-quail Perdicula manipurensis 23 250
9