Partridge (scientific name: Francolinus pintadeanus), also known as the Chinese partridge, is a species of bird, the body shape is like a chicken and smaller than the chicken, the feathers are mostly black and white, especially the back and chest, abdomen and other parts of the eye-like white spots are more prominent. Adult partridges are about 30 cm long and weigh about 300 grams. Breeding between March and June, nesting in grass or bushes, laying 3 to 6 eggs per clutch, sometimes seven or eight, and the eggs are pear-shaped, white or milky white.
It lives in hills and mountains in grass or bushes. Male partridges are aggressive and have a special call, and some people imitate their sound as "brother who can't do it". Partridge feeds on grains, legumes and insects. Partridge meat tastes on top of the pheasant and is a game game. It can also be used as a fighting bird. It is found in Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
Key features
Male: Medium-sized (30 cm), not misidentified black quail. The pillow , upper back , lower body , and wings have striking white spots , and the back and tail have white transverse spots. The head is black with maroon eyebrow stripes, a broad white band from the eye to the ear feathers, and the chin and throat are white.
Female: Resembles a male, but has yellow skin and dark spots on the lower body and tan upperparts. The upper back is black, full of oval white spots, and the feathers are embellished with maroon; the lower back to the central tail feathers are also black, mixed with wavy narrowness, and the outer tail feathers are pure black; the shoulders are maroon; the covert feathers are dark brown, with white transverse spots; the flight feathers are dark brown, with white transverse spots, and the innermost flight feathers are the same as the shoulder feathers. The thorax , upper abdomen , and upper flank are all black with prominent eye-shaped white spots , and to the lower flank , they are turned into self-feathers and mixed with black spots ; the lower abdomen is brownish and white. The undertail coverts are brown. The feet are short, orange-yellow to reddish-brown. Females are physically colored with males
The bird is similar , but the black is blunter and brownered ; the white spots and stripes are brown ; the underparts become brownish white , mixed with black brown transverse spots. It often inhabits mountain shrublands and grasses. It feeds on grains, legumes and seeds of other plants, and is a food for grasshoppers, ants and other insects. The scream is loud. During the breeding season, a male bird stands on the rock and sings, and several male birds respond from the top of the mountain in different directions, one after another, and the sound resounds through the hill. Breeding occurs from March to April. Nest in grass or shrubland with hay, fallen leaves, etc., and lay residual feathers inside. Each clutch lays 3 to 5 eggs; the eggs are pear-shaped, milky yellow to yellowish brown, and the size is 37×30 mm.
Iris - reddish brown; mouth - nearly black; feet - yellow.
"Ancient and Modern Notes": Partridge, out of the south, often calls itself, often flies to the sun, afraid of frost and dew, morning and evening, sometimes night flying, night flying with leaves on its back.
"Tang Bencao": Partridge bird, born in Jiangnan, shaped like a hen.
"Ridge Table Record": Partridge, Wu Chu's wild is known, Lingnan is more, this bird meat is fat, far better than chicken, pheasant. There are white dots in front of the buttocks, and the purple hairs on the back are as large as pheasants, and they are many pairs of crying.
Call
Distinctive loud and piercing chirps such as 'do-be-quick-papa' or 'come to the peak ha-ha'. Birds can chirp at the same time in the morning and evening. The call is special, and some people imitate its sound as "brother who can't do it".
Distribution
There are about 30 species of partridge in the world, all of which are distributed in the tropics and subtropics, with the largest distribution of African species.
There is only one species in China, the Chinese partridge
Domestic distribution: Domestic distribution in the south of Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Hong Kong, Zhejiang, Fujian, Yunnan, Anhui, Guizhou, occasionally found in Yantai, Shandong.
Foreign distribution: It is distributed in Africa, India, Myanmar, Thailand and Indochina Peninsula. Introduced to the Philippines.
popular name
Red Gu Flower Chicken Huainan Yue Pheasant Partridge Partridge Bird Chinese Partridge
Related habits
Habitat: It mainly inhabits unforested mountainous areas such as shrubland, grassland and rocky barren slopes in low hilly areas, and sometimes appears in small jungles and bamboo forests near farmland.
Diet: Omnivorous. It feeds mainly on grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, ants and other insects, but also eats a variety of herbs, young shoots, leaves, berries, fruits and seeds of shrubs. They also often go to farmland to collect scattered grains and crops.
Habits: Prefer to move alone or in pairs on dry brown dew rock slopes, often descend to the valley in the early morning and dusk to forage for food, and spend the night in the grass or shrubland, without a fixed habitat, changing the habitat position every night. Fly fast, often fly in a straight line, and fly to high places after being frightened. Partridges are good
Fighting, male partridge is aggressive, sexually mature male partridge, during the breeding season, often due to the competition for female partridge and territory and fierce pecking. Usually there is only one male partridge in a mountain.
Species protection: There is only one species of partridge active in China, namely the Chinese partridge, which is a provincial protected animal. This bird has eye-catching white spots on the upper back, lower body and wings, and white transverse spots on the back and tail, and is more active in hills, farmland and other places. However, in recent years, with the destruction of the natural environment and the large number of hunting for export, the population in most areas has declined to varying degrees, and it is less and less, and the number of hunts should be controlled and the protection of areas that have declined too rapidly should be strengthened. It is illegal to catch birds and sell wild birds, and if citizens and friends see it, they can report it to the relevant departments. There are currently a large number of captive stone chickens for sale as partridges.
Habits of life
1. Partridge for the south to stay birds, like warm, afraid of cold, not afraid of heat, like light, like dry, afraid of damp, tired of darkness.
2. Partridges do not like to live in groups, a mountain does not allow two partridges, and two males must fight when they meet. Timid and easily frightened. When encountering a loud noise or the appearance of a foreign body, it immediately flies away, generally in a straight line, has a strong ability to fly, and flies fast, but for a short duration.
3. Partridges make nests on the ground, generally pecking at small pits in the bushes, and spreading weeds and leaves on top. The female partridge is very fond of nests, and when the eggs are hatched, people walk up to them and do not fly.
4. Partridges are omnivorous birds. It feeds on weeds, seeds, fruits, leaves, and insects.
5. Partridges are aggressive. Sexually mature male partridges do not allow other male partridges to enter their own territory, and often engage in fierce pecking duels over turf until the loser escapes.
6. Partridges are good at singing, especially in the breeding season, the hills rise and fall, repeatedly crying, crying very much like "can't do it brother".
7. Partridge breeding rate is very low, there is no large-scale breeding, only a small number of breeding, as a matchmaker bird. There are currently no successful cases of partridges in the world. Partridges breed twice a year, generally laying five eggs at a time, the little partridge can follow the mother partridge to feed after hatching, and some small partridges are not completely out of the shell and go against the eggshell.
At present, there are no large numbers of partridge seedlings for sale, and a small number of them can be seen in flower and bird shops.
Main varieties
The current species and distribution of partridge in the world are roughly as follows:
Francolinus pintadeanus (the only species of partridge distributed in China)
Francolinus of the Black Partridge
Francolinus pictus
Francolinus pondicerianus
Swamp partridge Francolinus gularis
Chestnut-capped partridge Francolinus coqui
Francolinus albogularis, diphtheria partridge
Francolinus schlegerlii
Forest partridge Francolinus lathami
Crested partridge Francolinus sephaena
Ring-necked partridge Francolinus streptophorus
Francolinus finschi
Flancoleans levaillantii
Grey-winged partridge Francolinus africanus
Highland partridge Francolinus psilolaemus
Shelleyi
Orange-winged partridge Francolinus levalliantoides
Scaly Partridge Francolinus squamatus
Brown-capped partridge Francolinus ahantensis
Grey partridge Francolinus griseostriatus
Francolinus nahani
Francolinus hartlaubi, Hassle partridge
Francolinus bicalcaratus, double-pitched partridge
Flancolinus icterorhynchus
Flancorlinus clappertoni
Francolinus harwoodi
Red-billed partridge Francolinus adspersus
Francolinus capensis, South African partridge
Natal partridge Francolinus natalensis
Hiscules partridge Francolinus hildebrandti
Yellow-necked partridge Francolinus leucoscepus
Colored partridge Francolinus rufopictus
Red-throated partridge Francolinus afer
Francolinus swainsonii
Kenyan partridge Francolinus jacksoni
Flancorlinus nobilis
Cameroon partridge Francolinus camerunensis
Sveti Partridge Francolinus swierstrai
Chestnut-naped partridge Francolinus castaneicollis
Brown-capped partridge Francolinus erckelii
Francolinus ochropectus pale-bellied partridge
partridge
Other Information
Reproduction
The breeding period is from March to June, and courtship and mating begins between March and April. During courtship, it often perchs on mountain rocks, stumps, shrubs or sub-arborvitae, especially at dawn and early morning. Often a bird chirps, and other male birds follow suit, one after another, and the song is like 'do-be-quick-papa'. It is extremely territorial and often fights over the field. The nest is in the grass or shrubland on the hillside, the nest is very simple and rough, mostly composed of hay, leaves, and a few feathers on the inside. Each clutch lays 3-6 eggs, occasionally as many as 7-8, oval or pear-shaped, pale yellow to yellowish brown, eggs in size 35-37 mm × 28-30 mm. During the incubation period, the female is very fond of the nest, and often does not fly in front of people. The chicks are early and can follow the parent birds soon after hatching. It is also good at hiding, and in the event of a person or predator, the chicks immediately hide in the nearby grass, while the female lures the predator away in the opposite direction.
The difference between a partridge and a stone chicken
Originally a wild bird, in the 1930s, the first stone chicken was successfully bred in Illinois, Nevada and California, and many strains were bred. The Chukar stone chicken is one of the most famous, expanding from Mongolia, China and then to Turkey via northern India and Iran. The stone chicken was introduced to California, USA, to adequately provide for the needs of bird hunters, and it was not until recent years that domestication was taken seriously and gradually developed into a special poultry breeding industry.
There is a difference between the stone chickens currently raised in production and the wild partridges domesticated by the ancients. The so-called American partridge, now raised as commercial meat, is not actually a partridge, but a stone chicken (also known as Gaga chicken, red-legged chicken, Dora chicken). The distinguishing feature that distinguishes partridges from stone chickens is that the partridge's beak is black or brown, while the stone chicken's beak is red. Stone chickens belong to the order Ornithischia, Chickaceae, Pheasantidae, and Stone Chicken in the animal taxonomy. Partridges belong to the order Ornithischia, The Order Offidae, Pheasantidae, and Partridges in the animal taxonomy. Partridges are found in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World, with only one species found in China. Alectoris graeca or Alectoris chukar is distributed in southern Europe, northwest Africa, central Asia, there are 7 subspecies in China, distributed in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, through north China to the southwest of northeast China, wild stone chicken is easier to domesticate than wild partridge.
The so-called American partridge is a breed that has been domesticated and bred by the United States from the wild stone chicken in India for a long time, and is most famous for the meat and egg combination breed Chukar. Stone chickens and partridges are both pheasants in animal taxonomy, but they are two very different birds. One of the reasons why this domesticated stone chicken is called the American partridge may be that in the past few years, some farmers in Taiwan mistranslated 'Chukar' as "partridge" when they introduced it from the United States; the second reason may be that partridge is more attractive than the name of the stone chicken. At present, the price of the real Chinese domestic stone chicken is 3-5 times that of the American stone chicken, and the price of the Chinese partridge is better, but there is little artificial breeding. Individual farmers sell easy-to-breed American stone chickens as partridges for huge profits.
Therapeutic effect
Ming Dynasty physician Saint Li Shizhen in the "Compendium of Materia Medica" has "partridge to supplement the five internal organs, benefit the heart", "a partridge top nine chickens" said, which shows the magic of its nutrition, nourishment and health care effects. Meng Xian, a disciple of the famous Chinese Tang Dynasty physician Sun Simiao, pointed out in his book "Dietary Therapy Materia Medica" that partridge "can tonify the five internal organs and benefit the heart". The Qing Dynasty food monograph "Diet Recipes for Living with Breath" also said that it "can appetize and benefit the mind". "Tang Materia Medica": The main Lingnan wild kudzu, fungal poison, raw gold poison, and warm miasma for a long time, those who want to die can not be paralyzed, he mao boiling, wine stains to serve; raw mash juice is the best.
"Medical Forest Essentials": Tonic and elimination of phlegm.
"Dietary Therapy Materia Medica": Can supplement the five internal organs, benefit the heart, smart.
"Diet Recipes for Living with The Breath": Benefit the five internal organs, appetize, and benefit the mind.
Partridge for Pro
Students with symptoms such as mental restlessness caused by mental tension before the exam, insomnia, dreams and forgetfulness are very effective. Regular use can promote concentration and a calm mood.
Partridge has a variety of ways to eat, generally can be made of salted partridge with salt and then air-dried for preservation, when you need to eat it with japonica rice to cook together into partridge porridge, fragrant glutinous and delicious. If you are a fresh partridge, you can also fill the belly of the partridge with berries, dates, cinnamon and glutinous rice, and then incorporate the partridge into the chicken belly to make a set of poultry dishes and steam it. Partridges can also be put in
Cut or shredded partridge meat and stir-fry with other vegetables into a variety of dishes. There is also a folk way to eat partridge and jade bamboo together with stew soup. Partridge is sweet, warm, non-toxic, into the spleen, stomach, heart meridian; can benefit the five organs, appetizing, beneficial to the heart, tonic and phlegm. It can be consumed by the general population. It is especially suitable for women, children and adult men during breastfeeding; the folk use partridge as a good medicine for strengthening the spleen and eliminating chancre, and the treatment of pediatric anorexia, wasting and stunting has a significant effect. The consumption of partridges by women during breastfeeding has a significant effect on promoting the physical and intellectual development of infants.
Precautions
1. Partridge is a provincial-level protected animal, it is illegal to catch birds, sell and eat wild birds with a net, artificial partridge farming is not yet mature, and real partridge is rarely sold.
2. Partridges sold in the market are generally fake, posing as stone chickens, so there is no therapeutic effect of partridges.
3. True partridge each time the amount of consumption is 1-2 is appropriate, pay attention to the partridge should not be eaten together with bamboo shoots to avoid affecting the medicinal effect. The ancients believed that partridges liked to eat half-summer, aconitum seedlings, dry, so when cooking, more ginger and licorice should be put to prevent heat sores after eating.
"Dietary Therapy Materia Medica": Do not eat with bamboo shoots, which makes people bloated.
"Diet Recipes for Living with The Breath": Partridges are fire-like, and they eat a lot of brain pain and throat carbuncle.
Culture technology
Partridge breeding rates are very low, there is currently no large-scale farming, and there are sporadic cultures in the south as matchmakers and ornamental birds. Partridge is a provincially protected bird, there are very few partridges sold in the market, and most of the so-called partridges seen in the market are counterfeited with stone chickens.