Partridges, Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
Snow Partridge
Lerwa lerwa
- Family
- Partridges, Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies (Phasianidae)
- Order
- Galliformes
Overview
The snow partridge (Lerwa lerwa) is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae found widely distributed across the high-altitude Himalayan regions of Pakistan, China, India and Nepal. It is the only species within its genus, and is thought to be the most basal member of the "erectile clade" of the subfamily Phasianinae. The species is found in alpine pastures and open hillside above the treeline but not in as bare rocky terrain as the Himalayan snowcock and is not as wary as that species. Males and females look similar in plumage but males have a spur on their tarsus.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Himalayas from eastern Afghanistan to southern Tibet and southwestern China.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Snow partridge
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
