Chestnut-breasted Partridge      Arborophila mandellii

Etymology: 

• Arborophila : Latin word arbor -tree; Greek word philos -loving
• Mandellii : Named after ornithologist Louis H. Mandelli (1833–1881)

Vernacular Names: Mishmi: Pao-er 

Distribution : Resident in foothills in North East India (Sikkim, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh) & Bhutan. 

Description: It has a size of  28–30 cm; weight of 268 g. It has a chestnut breastband and grey belly; rufescent crown and head-sides, white gorget and entirely chestnut upper breast. The Forehead to nape is reddish brown, supercilia grey ,meeting on hindneck. The lower nape and mantle are chestnut spotted black. The lores, ear-coverts, neck-sides and throat are pale rufous tinged olive and finely mottled black on neck-sides, narrow white moustachial, breast deep chestnut, separated from throat by narrow black and white collar. Rest of underparts are grey becoming whitish on central belly, with white spots on flanks fringed chestnut and olive. The undertail-coverts are spotted white and mottled rufous. The upperparts are olive-brown, finely barred black on back and spotted black on rump, uppertail-coverts and rump.

Habitat: It is found in evergreen and moist broadleaf forest undergrowth often with bamboo thickets at 250–2450 m.

Food habits:  It eats seeds of weeds, as well as berries, shoots and assorted invertebrates.

Breeding habits: They breed in Mar–Jun in Tibet. They lay a clutch of four eggs in nest made of pad of grass.