中华鹧鸪 Chinese Francolin
Francolinus pintadeanus

中型雉类
体长 31~34 cm

虹膜 /iris

红褐色 /reddish- brown

嘴 /bill

黑色，嘴基黄色 /dark with pale yellowish base to lower mandible

脚 /legs and feet

黄色 /yellow

目 │ 鸡形目GALLIFORMES 科 │ 雉科Phasianidae

野外识别 │ 头黑褐色，但有栗色眉纹，以及一条由眼下至耳羽的白色条带，颏及喉白色。上背、下体及两翼多黑色，但有醒目的白色斑点，背和尾有白色横斑，尾下覆羽栗黄色。雌鸟似雄鸟。其叫声“ kak-kak-kaak ka-ka ”非常典型，响亮。

居留及分布 │ 分布于印度东北部至中国南部及亚洲东南部。常见留鸟，见于云南、贵州、广西、海南、广东、福建、江西、浙江及安徽。在南岭偶见于乳阳。

生境及习性 │ 生活在低山及丘陵，多栖息于灌丛、草地、荒山等环境中。清晨和黄昏时常在山谷间觅食，晚上在草丛或灌丛中过夜。主要以昆虫为食，也吃各种草本之物，以及灌木的嫩芽、叶、浆果和种子。营巢于山坡草丛或灌丛中。繁殖期 3—6 月。每窝产卵 3~6 枚，多时可达 8 枚，卵淡皮黄色至黄褐色。孵化期 21 天。

Field identification │ A medium-sized ground-dwelling galliform with a small head, plump body, short tail and thick legs. Males are strikingly patterned with the neck, body and wings blackish heavily spotted and mottled with white. The crown is dark brown with a black central stripe, the eyestripe and moustachial black, the cheeks and throat white, and the scapulars, lower mantle and flanks washed with chestnut. Females are browner. The territorial call is a loud, rasping kak-kak-kaak ka-ka (rendered in English“come to the peak ha-ha”).

Distribution & status │ Widespread from northeast India through Indochina to southern China,with the nominate subspecies occurring in most provinces south of the Yangtze River including Guangdong. In Nanling, it is a resident species, occasionally recorded at Ruyang.

Habitat & habits │ Chinese Francolins occur on grassy hills and in open pine woods up to 500 m, and in spring often call from the top of a rock or a low branch in a pine-tree. Food items include seeds, shoots and insects. They are ground-nesters, nesting in Guangdong between April and June.