This pheasant-family bird lives in forests of northwestern Sumatra. It has a brown, dark-marked back, a reddish-brown breast, a white belly, and bold black-and-white bars on its flanks.
About 28 cm long. The brown forehead to nape is speckled and streaked; the face is black and white, with reddish-orange skin around the eye. The breast is pale reddish-brown, the belly white, and the flank feathers boldly barred black and white. The sexes look similar, with females duller.
In the Gunung Leuser Ecosystem of northern Sumatra, Roll’s Partridges have been seen together in a group of four.
Three museum eggs in the Netherlands once carried this species’ name. Researchers compared the keeper’s correspondence and photographs and concluded that the parents were the separate Sumatran Partridge of central and southern Sumatra. Breast and facial markings helped correct the identification.
Roll’s Partridges have reddish-brown breasts, a large white ear-coverts patch and a white cheek stripe. The blackish throat is bordered below by a white band edged with black, and the dull brown crown has dark speckles. These facial and breast patterns distinguish them from the similar Sumatran Partridge.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The modelling study recommends establishing or adjusting protected areas with future suitable habitat in mind for Southeast Asian galliforms, including Roll’s Partridge.