Roosting Behavior and Roost Selection by Buff-throated Partridges Tetraophasis szechenyii during the Breeding Season

selection by Buff-throated Partridges Tetraophasis szechenyii during the breeding season. Zoological Studies 49(4): 461-469. Studying roosting behavior and roost selection is very important for Galliformes conservation. The breeding season roosting behavior and roost selection by Buff-throated Partridges Tetraophasis szechenyii, a rare galliform species endemic to western China, were studied by radio tracking and direct sighting in 2006-2008. Partridges roosted in family groups, and group members almost always huddled together within roosts except in the incubation period and the 1st 2 wks after the eggs hatched, when males remained separate from females. The vegetation they selected for roosts was almost exclusively fir forests with high tree density, good canopy cover, and plenty of trees with large diameter at breast height (DBH). Trees typically used were large-DBH (27.3 ± 1.1 cm S.E., n = 58) Abies squamata or Larix potaninii situated on sites with large degree of slope, long distance to the nearest trail, and close proximity to other large-DBH trees. Branches occupied were frequently (47.2%, n = 74) easterly oriented, and 7.4 ± 0.1 m S.E. (n = 95) in height and 4.2 ± 0.1 cm S.E. (n = 95) in diameter. This suggests that the roosting behavior and patterns of roost selection by Buff-throated Partridges are principally to maximize thermoregulatory benefits and avoid predation. The relevance for management of this species is mainly discussed in terms of forestry practices and exploitation restraints