Black partridge
Species of bird
title: "Black partridge" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rollulinae", "partridges", "birds-of-malesia", "birds-described-in-1829"] description: "Species of bird" topic_path: "general/rollulinae" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_partridge" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Species of bird ::
| name = Black partridge | image = Naturalis Biodiversity Center - ZMA.AVES.25872 - Melanoperdix niger niger Vigors, 1829 - Phasianidae - skin specimen.jpeg | status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | genus = Melanoperdix | parent_authority = Jerdon, 1864 | display_parents = 2 | species = niger | authority = (Vigors, 1829)
The black partridge (Melanoperdix niger), also known as the black wood partridge, is a small (up to 27 cm long) partridge with a thick bill, grey legs and dark brown iris. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Melanoperdix.
The black partridge is sexually 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 of Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra in southeast Asia. It was formerly found but is long extinct on Singapore. The female usually lays five to six white eggs.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size and overhunting in some areas, the black partridge is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix III of CITES in Malaysia.
Subspecies
The black partridge has two recognized subspecies:
- M. n. borneensis (Rothschild, 1917)
- M. n. niger (Vigors, 1829)
References
References
- (2016). "''Melanoperdix niger''".
- "IOC World Bird List 13.1". IOC World Bird List.
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