Melanoperdix nigrax

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Aves
Subclassis: Carinatae
Infraclassis: Neornithes
Parvclassis: Neognathae
Ordo: Galliformes
Familia: Phasianidae
Subfamilia: Perdicinae
Genus: Melanoperdix
Species: Melanoperdix nigra
Subspecies M. n. borneensis - M. n. nigra

Name

Melanoperdix nigra (Vigors, 1829)

Vernacular names
English: Black Partridge

The Black Partridge, Melanoperdix niger, also known as the Black Wood Partridge, is a small (up to 27cm long) partridge with a thick bill, grey legs and dark brown iris. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Melanoperdix.

The Black Partridge is sexually dimorphic. The male has entirely glossy black plumage and a black bill, while the female is generally a chestnut-brown bird with a whitish throat and belly and a dark horn-colored bill. The female is smaller than the male.

The Black Partridge occurs in lowland rainforests of Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra in southeast Asia. It was formerly found but is long extinct on Singapore. The female usually lays five to six white eggs.

Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size and overhunting in some areas, the Black Partridge is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix III of CITES in Malaysia.

References

* BirdLife International (2004). Melanoperdix niger. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 14 November 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable