The Chestnut-breasted Hill Partridge is a forest partridge of the eastern Himalayas. A chestnut band across the breast and a grey belly help identify it.
It has a chestnut breast-band and grey belly. The IUCN identification also notes a white gorget and a chestnut upper breast.
In Bhutan winter observations, Chestnut-breasted Hill Partridges fed or rested singly or in twos. Feeding records came from broadleaved forest, bamboo and combinations of the two; resting birds were also recorded higher up among rhododendrons and bamboo.
From January to March 2015, a study in Thrumshingla National Park recorded birds and vegetation at forest survey points. Its table lists fifteen sighting records, distinguishing feeding from resting. Several feeding observations came from 1,500 metres, while both records at 2,400 metres involved resting birds.
The study found an association between partridge occurrence and shrub cover. The researcher suggested that bamboo and low vegetation support foraging and concealment. Plants close to the ground, as well as branches overhead, help form this bird’s winter habitat.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The 2015 field survey recorded cattle grazing and tree felling at forest sampling sites. The report recommends conserving broadleaved forest and its bamboo undergrowth, together with long-term monitoring extending to the breeding season.