Animal Encounters XIX

Hey there! Its been a long time since the last encounter. But its good to be back! So without further ado, this week's special is.....

The Roul-Roul Partridge

The roul-roul partridge is found in on the Asia continent, in places like Thailand, Brunei, and Malaysia. They are approximately 26 cm in length, weighing 200 g (female) to 230 g (male). It is an unmistakable bird with a spectacular reddish crest, dark plumage and bright red bare parts. The female is very different from the male, but equally distinctive, with most of the plumage green and head grey. The young birds resemble the female but with more mottled colouring. The young male has a greyish belly.

Check out my super cool mohawk!

The roul-roul partridge lives on the forest floor in large gregarious groups of up to 40 birds, that spend the day foraging for fruits, seeds and insects.

I'm so camouflaged! Opps I forgot I've got pink legs.....

The roul-roul often follows wild pigs around the forest, feeding on the pig's leftovers, such as half-eaten fruits. They use their feet to scratch for food in the leaf-litter.

I'm doing the poka dance....to look for food

The birds have a loud alarm call that is uttered when danger threatens. A quiet whistle is also used by family members to stay together in dense forest cover. The nest is a complex dome construction made of leaves and twigs that hides the female completely when she is inside. Five to six eggs are laid and incubation is undertaken by the female and lasts about 18-19 days. When the chicks hatch they are well developed, but still need to be fed by the female for the first week. They stay with the parents for a further three months.

Aye, a stash of whiskey hidden under this rock! Damn I've only got a beak....

The roul-roul partridge is not considered to be globally threatened but it is vulnerable to habitat destruction particularly due to logging. What was once a widespread species is now limited in its distribution. Did you know that the nest dome of this species can be burst open in a hurry if predators threaten, allowing nesting material to fall onto the eggs, perhaps hiding them from sight. No? Well, now you do!