Like the related Coturnix species, francolins and junglefowl, males broadcast loud, multi-syllabic calls throughout the day and throughout the year.

The loud contact call, often rendered as ki-ko-kuai or kojukei[citation needed] (the latter rendition being adopted as its Japanese name) is repeated several times before slowing to a stop.

This call is heard far more than the bird is usually seen, and though the species is common throughout its limited range, it is elusive and secretive.

The bird is native to eastern mainland China, and has been introduced successfully to Japan, Hawaii and Argentina.

[5] Despite its success elsewhere, Chinese bamboo partridge has been extirpated from Hong Kong, and a reintroduction program in 1961 failed to produce a viable breeding population.