About Ptilopachus petrosus (J.F.Gmelin, 1789)
The stone partridge (Ptilopachus petrosus) is unusual among gamebirds because to human observation, females are more striking in appearance than males. Both sexes are primarily earthy chocolate brown on their upper bodies, with sparse pale cream-grey spotting. The head, neck, and chest are a paler brown, and the feathers have broad cream edges that create a scaled look for the bird. On males, the lower chest and belly are orange-cream; on females, these areas are very pale cream. Both sexes can raise their crown feathers to form a simple crest, but the female's crown feathers are somewhat longer, making the crest more noticeable when raised. Stone partridge eggs are pale pink, fading to cream as they age. Juveniles are dark chocolate brown across their entire bodies, and moult into adult plumage when they are several weeks old. At least in captive settings, the male stone partridge takes a major role in both incubating eggs and rearing chicks, offering small food items to young by picking the food up, dropping it, and calling to the chicks. The stone partridge is widespread and common across its large natural range, and is categorized as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Since 2000, this species has been imported to the United States and Europe, where it is hoped that stone partridges will become established in zoos and bird collections.
