Alternative name: Bamboo Partridge
- Bambusicola thoracicus
Identification
30–32 cm (11¾-12½ in), Male larger
- Brown crown and nape
- Bluish-grey forehead
- Upperparts and breast mottled black, chestnut, and cream
- Black spotted flanks
- Extensive rufous face and throat
- Grey above eye and down to neck
- Females are usually unspurred
Immatures are duller, have buffy shaft streaks, dark spots on lower back, rump and undertail-coverts.
Distribution
Asia: found in south and central China.
Declining in its range.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Formerly considered conspecific with Taiwan Bamboo Partridge.
The scientific name was formerly spelled thoracica.
Habitat
Arid bush. Warm forests and grasslands; not entirely dependent on bamboo. Occurs up to 1000m, occasionally up to 2000m.
Behaviour
Terrestrial.
Breeding
The clutch consists of 3-7 eggs which are incubated by the female for 18 days.
Diet
The diet includes invertebrates, nuts, seeds, shoots and leaves. Birds introduced to Japan have been observed feeding on locusts, termites and ants.
Vocalisation
Call: ki-ko-kuai or kojukkei
Starts with Daurian Redstart, followed by Chinese Bamboo Partridges, Oriental Greenfinch and a bulbul
Recording by china guy, Sichuan, China, September 2011
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 1994. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: New World Vultures to Guineafowl. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334153
- gbwf.org
- Birding in Taiwan
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Feb 2018)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Chinese Bamboo Partridge. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chinese_Bamboo_Partridge
