Stone partridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stone partridge |
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Ptilopachus
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petrosus
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The stone partridge (Ptilopachus petrosus) is a cool bird that belongs to the New World quail family. This bird is mostly brown and often holds its tail up high. You can find it in scrubland (areas with small trees and bushes) and lightly wooded places, usually near rocks. It lives in a large area from Kenya and Ethiopia all the way to Gambia, especially in the Sudanian Savanna.
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About the Stone Partridge's Name
Have you ever wondered how animals get their scientific names? It's called taxonomy! The stone partridge got its official description in 1789 from a German scientist named Johann Friedrich Gmelin. He first put it in a group of birds called Tetrao. He gave it the scientific name Tetrao petrosus.
Later, in 1837, another scientist named William John Swainson created a new group, or genus, called Ptilopachus. The stone partridge now belongs to this group, along with Nahan's partridge. The name Ptilopachus comes from ancient Greek words meaning "feather" and "thick." The word petrosus is Latin for "rocky."
Different Types of Stone Partridges
Scientists recognize four different types, or subspecies, of the stone partridge:
- P. p. petrosus (Gmelin, JF, 1789) – Found from Gambia to Cameroon.
- P. p. brehmi Neumann, 1908 – Lives in south Chad to central Sudan.
- P. p. major Neumann, 1908 – Found in northern Ethiopia.
- P. p. florentiae Ogilvie-Grant, 1900 – Lives in south Sudan, south Ethiopia, northeast DR Congo, northern Uganda, and central Kenya.
Why Names Can Be Confusing
Sometimes, bird names can be a bit confusing! For example, in many languages, the name for the stone partridge translates to "rock partridge." This can be tricky because there's another bird called the rock partridge (Alectoris graeca) which is a different species entirely.
To make it even more confusing, some languages use names that mean "stone partridge" for the Alectoris species. For example, the red-legged partridge (A. rufa) is called "rode steenpatrijs" in Dutch.
It's important to remember that Alectoris and Ptilopachus birds are quite different. The stone partridge (Ptilopachus) is much smaller, only about 20–25 centimeters (8–10 inches) long.
What the Stone Partridge Looks Like
The stone partridge is special among gamebirds because the female bird is actually more colorful than the male! Both males and females are mostly a chocolate-brown color on their backs. They have light, creamy-grey spots.
Their heads, necks, and chests are a lighter brown. The feathers on these parts have wide cream edges, which makes the bird look like it has scales. In males, the lower chest and belly are orange-cream. Females have a very pale cream color there.
Both male and female stone partridges can raise the feathers on top of their heads to make a small crest. However, the female's crest feathers are a bit longer, so her crest looks more noticeable when she raises it.
Eggs and Young Birds
Stone partridge eggs are a pale pink color, which fades to cream. When they are very young, the chicks are dark chocolate-brown all over. They grow their adult feathers after several weeks.
In places where these birds are kept by people, the male partridge often helps a lot with both sitting on the eggs (incubation) and raising the chicks. He will pick up small pieces of food, drop them, and call to the young birds to show them what to eat.
Where Stone Partridges Live
The stone partridge is found across a very large area and is quite common. Because of this, it is listed as "least concern" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This means scientists are not worried about it becoming endangered right now.
Since the year 2000, some stone partridges have been brought to the United States and Europe. People hope that these birds will become common in zoos and bird collections there.
Philately
- The stone partridge is shown on a 5F stamp from Ivory Coast.
