The red-billed partridge is a bird species in the family Phasianidae. It is endemic to the Barisan highland forest in Sumatra, Indonesia. It is the only member of the genus Arborophila where the bill is completely red. Other members of the genus have either a yellow-tipped red bill or a black bill.
Region
Sumatra (Barisan Mountains)
Typical Environment
Occupies montane and submontane evergreen forest with dense understory, often along bamboo thickets and mossy forest floors. It favors areas with deep leaf litter for scratching and foraging, and tends to avoid heavily disturbed lowland habitats. The species is most frequently encountered on steep, forested slopes and along quiet ridge trails. It remains close to cover and rarely ventures into open areas.
Altitude Range
800–2500 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
This shy, ground-dwelling partridge is confined to the Barisan highland forests of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is the only member of Arborophila with a completely red bill, a distinctive feature that gives the species its name. Pairs often deliver duetted calls at dawn and dusk from dense undergrowth. Habitat loss and hunting can locally affect numbers, though it persists in suitable montane forest.
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with explosive flush; prefers running
Social Behavior
Usually found singly, in pairs, or in small family coveys that keep close contact in dense cover. Nests are simple ground scrapes lined with leaves, well concealed under shrubs or roots. Pairs are thought to maintain small territories, communicating with soft contact calls and duets.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are clear, whistled notes often delivered in rhythmic duets between mates. Calls carry well through forest, starting with a single note and building into a short series. Alarm calls are harsher and given from the ground before the bird dashes to cover.
Plumage
Mottled brown upperparts with fine dark barring, greyish to slate breast with subtle black scaling, and chestnut-tinged, barred flanks. Throat is pale buff to whitish with darker bordering, and the face shows contrasting darker and greyer tones. Feathers are tight and smooth, adapted for moving quietly through dense understory.
Diet
Feeds on a mix of fallen seeds, small fruits, green shoots, and a variety of invertebrates such as ants, beetles, termites, and larvae. It regularly scratches through leaf litter to uncover hidden prey and plant matter. Opportunistically takes berries and soft mast when seasonally abundant.
Preferred Environment
Forages on the forest floor along quiet trails, bamboo patches, and dense understory near treefall gaps. It stays close to thick cover and retreats quickly into vegetation when disturbed.
