This grouse lives in mountain forests in China. Its brown body has a finely patterned belly, and it also eats buds and flowers in spring.
It is brown overall, with a finely patterned belly. The male has a black throat edged in white; the female has a brown throat.
Chinese Grouse inhabit China’s high mountain forests. At Lianhuashan in Gansu, females nest at the bases of spruce, fir, willow or birch trees, often surrounded by dense shrubs.
Infrared cameras monitored 17 nests from 2012 to 2016. Six were depredated, with predators identified at five: Asian badgers at three, and a hog badger and a Blue Eared Pheasant at one each. The pheasant punctured shells and ate their contents.
Chipmunks and small rodents also approached. Incubating females stood with feathers erected and expelled chipmunks on five occasions. Small rodents jumped away when females tried to peck them. The recordings showed active nest defence alongside the relationships between eggs and other forest animals.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The 2000 distribution study identified logging-related forest loss and fragmentation as conservation concerns. Conifers provide cover, while deciduous trees and shrubs supply food. The author recommended protecting occupied forests and documenting connections between separated habitats.