Bamboo partridges, sometimes called ridge partridges, are medium-sized non-migratory birds of the genus ''Bambusicola'' in the family
Phasianidae.They have a wide
native distribution throughout Asia. They were formerly grouped in the
Perdicinae
Perdicinae is a polyphyletic former subfamily of birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae, regrouping the partridges, Old World quails, and francolins.
Although this subfamily was considered monophyletic and separated from the pheasants, trago ...
subfamily of the
Phasianidae (pheasants, quail, etc.). However, molecular research suggests that partridges are not a distinct
taxon
In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...
within the family Phasianidae, but that some species are closer to the
pheasant
Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia ...
s, while others are closer to the
junglefowl
Junglefowl are the only four living species of bird from the genus ''Gallus'' in the bird order Galliformes, and occur in parts of South and Southeast Asia. They diverged from their common ancestor about 4–6 million years ago.
Although origin ...
. Phylogenetic evidence supports the bamboo partridges as being the
sister genus to the junglefowl.
Species
There are three species in the genus:
References
Bird genera
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Galliformes-stub