Chestnut-breasted Partridge

The chestnut-breasted partridge is endemic to the eastern Himalaya north of the Brahmaputra, in Bhutan, Darjeeling, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and south-eastern Tibet, at elevations from 350 to 2,500 m. It is a distinctive partridge with a chestnut breast band and grey belly, told from the similar rufous-throated partridge by a more rufescent crown and head sides, a white gorget and an entirely chestnut upper breast (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is threatened by forest degradation and hunting, and is known from at least three protected areas, including Singalila and Namdapha National Parks. The first photograph of the species in the wild was taken in Arunachal Pradesh in 2015. The name commemorates the Italian naturalist Louis Mandelli. SoIB 2023 rates it a Moderate conservation priority, with a Restricted range of about 8,600 km² and insufficient data on trends (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).