A high-altitude partridge of the Himalayas, marked by fine black-and-white barring and a red bill and legs. It may descend to lower elevations in severe winter weather.
The sexes look similar. Fine black-and-white barring covers the head, neck, and back, while the chestnut underparts have white streaks. The bill and legs are red.
Snow Partridges inhabit high alpine rocky ground and grasslands. Females incubate in small cave-like hollows lined with dry grass and feathers, and leave to meet their own feeding needs.
Seven nests were monitored in Basu County in 2018 and Cuona County in 2019. They contained four or five eggs;six hatched successfully. Including five older nests, all 12 recorded structures were cave nests.
Females took one to four daily recesses, with the first beginning between 06:01 and 07:09. The authors interpreted nest structure and breeding traits together as adaptations to alpine conditions.
IUCN Red List (BirdLife listing) · Least Concern · Global
BirdLife lists Least Concern globally. The 2017 habitat study identifies hunting, fragmentation from development, and tourism and traffic disturbance as concerns. Terrain and vegetation patterns help identify habitat relevant to conservation.