The Udzungwa Forest Partridge Xenoperdix udzungwensis was discovered in 1991 in the geologically old and eco-climatically stable Udzungwa Mountains (hereafter the Udzungwas) in Tanzania - a global biodiversity hotspot in the Eastern Arc Mountains of East Africa. The partridge is categorised as globally ‘Endangered’ and this study aims at assessing its population status and habitat requirements in the two separate montane forests where it was discovered c.30 years ago and for the first time using systematic playback technique. We estimate the partridge population at c.2,800 individuals (1,680–3,860) confined to less than 150 km2 and now confined to a single forest and with a clearly declining distribution within the last few decades since its discovery. The species is confined to evergreen closed (semi-closed) canopy forest habitat with leaf litter and sedges on the forest floor for feeding and cover. The partridge has become an emblem for the high concentration of endemic species of the Udzungwa Mountains National Park. At the same time there is a risk that this species could go extinct without notice if the Tanzanian authorities do not tackle two envisaged main drivers, namely fragmentation of the evergreen forest area over the last few centuries and current illegal hunting. Hence it seems crucial to allow natural expansion of its forest habitat in the Udzungwas and to eliminate hunting in the other forest within its recently known distribution where the population has presumably been extirpated. The partridge is remarkable as its closest relatives are in South-east Asia and it is used as a flagship species for the Udzungwas, which has one of the highest concentrations of endemic species on earth.

乌宗瓦森林鹧鸪Xenoperdix udzungwensis于 1991 年在坦桑尼亚地质古老、生态气候稳定的乌宗瓦山脉（以下简称乌宗瓦山脉）中发现，该山脉是东非东部弧形山脉的全球生物多样性热点。鹧鸪被列为全球“濒危”物种，本研究旨在评估其在大约 30 年前被发现的两个独立山地森林中的种群状况和栖息地要求，并且首次使用系统回放技术。我们估计鹧鸪数量约为 2,800 只 (1,680–3,860)，分布在不到 150 km 2的范围内现在仅限于单一森林，并且自发现以来的几十年内其分布明显下降。该物种仅限于常绿封闭（半封闭）树冠森林栖息地，森林地面上有落叶和莎草，用于取食和覆盖。鹧鸪已成为乌宗瓦山国家公园特有物种高度集中的象征。与此同时，如果坦桑尼亚当局不解决两个设想的主要驱动因素，即过去几个世纪常绿森林地区的破碎化和当前的非法狩猎，该物种可能会在没有通知的情况下灭绝。因此，允许其在乌宗瓦斯（Udzungwas）的森林栖息地自然扩张并消除在其最近已知的分布范围内的其他森林中的狩猎似乎至关重要，那里的种群可能已经灭绝。鹧鸪很引人注目，因为它的近亲生活在东南亚，它被用作乌宗瓦斯的旗舰物种，乌德宗瓦斯是地球上特有物种最集中的地区之一。