ORANGE-NECKED PARTRIDGE

Originally described in 1927, this species was not seen by bird researchers again until it was rediscovered in 1991. Its range is limited to southern Viet Nam and a small part of eastern Cambodia. In this range, it is found in many sites, including Cat Tien and Bu Gia Map national parks and other state forests in Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai provinces where suitable habitat exists. A few records are known from Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in Mondulkiri province in Cambodia, but the area of suitable habitat in Cambodia is thought to be as small as 70km2 .

This partridge occurs in lowland evergreen forest, and is tolerant to some degree of forest degradation, occupying habitats including logged evergreen and semi-evergreen forest, tall scrub, bamboo, and acacia plantations. However, the remaining natural habitat is highly fragmented, broken up by human dominated areas.

The IUCN Red List assessment estimates its population to be approaching 10,000, with the largest subpopulation approaching 1,000 birds. Its population is considered to have declined in the recent decades due to forest clearance and hunting in its remaining range. Historically, the heavy use of herbicides like Agent Orange and Agent White during the Viet Nam war may have triggered a population decline. Presently, the main threats to this species’ survival are commercial logging, illegal forest clearing for cashew, cassava and rubber cultivation, and

BirdLife high hunting levels across its range. As with many Annamite species, the most pressing current threat is snaring and other forms of trapping for local consumption and for supplying the wild meat market.

The orange-necked partridge was one of the flagship species of a five-year project in the late 1990s that established a conservation management plan for Cat Tien National Park and Cat Loc Nature Reserve. Extensive surveys of Binh Phouc province resulted in a proposal to extend the boundaries of the Bu Gia Map National Park to include more habitats of the orange-necked partridge and Germain’s peacock pheasant. While the species may be relatively safe in the two national parks, its survival in the rest of its range will depend heavily on effective actions to control the widespread illegal hunting and trade.