On Behalf of Wpa/birdlife/ssc Partridge, Quail and Francolin Specialist Group on Behalf of Wpa/birdlife/ssc Partridge, Quail, and Francolin Specialist Group

ii The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN. Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorised without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Cover photo: Bearded Wood-partridge. Found only at a few sites in Mexico, this species is under continuing threat from habitat clearance and hunting. The text of this book is printed on 115 gsm Zone Silk, which is rated as 4-star under the Eco-Check system and is made from 100% sustainable fibre sources using chlorine-free processes. Foreword The WPA/BirdLife/SSC Partridge, Quail, and Francolin Specialist Group has been in existence since 1991 and has made phenomenal strides in understanding populations and threats to the 140+ species in this group. The Specialist Group (SG) has been involved with the World Pheasant Association and the Pheasant Specialist Group in two International Galliformes Conferences in Pakistan and Malaysia. A third is planned for the year 2000 in Nepal. In addition, the SG co-sponsored a workshop on Latin American Galliformes with the Cracid Specialist Group. We have undertaken some re-organisation of the SG to better reflect the diverse membership of the group, which presently represents 40+ countries. Most recently, the SG has added the Meleagridae (North American turkeys) to the rather eclectic group of species we already administer (partridges, quails, francolins, snowcocks, and guineafowl). One of the most important undertakings of this group was the publication of the first Action Plan in 1995. What many of us found in compiling that plan was that we knew very little about many of the species we were supposed to be helping. The effort also allowed members of the SG and others to focus on particular species or groups of species, or even regions for research and conservation efforts. Although many of our assessments were based on poor data and are probably off base, I believe that effort was worthwhile because we gave people a starting point and …