Grey Partridge
A species of True partridges, Also known as Hungarian Partridge Scientific name : Perdix perdix Genus : True partridges
Grey Partridge, A species of True partridges
Also known as:
Hungarian Partridge
Botanical name: Perdix perdix
Genus: True partridges
Content
Description People often ask General Info
Description
The grey partridge is a rotund bird, brown-backed, with grey flanks and chest. The belly is white, usually marked with a large chestnut-brown horse-shoe mark in males, and also in many females. Hens lay up to twenty eggs in a ground nest. The nest is usually in the margin of a cereal field, most commonly winter wheat. Measurements: Length: 11.8-13.0 in (30-33 cm) Weight: 13.6-17.6 oz (385-500 g) Wingspan: 20.9-22.1 in (53-56 cm) The only major and constant difference between the sexes is the so-called cross of Lorraine on the tertiary coverts of females—these being marked with two transverse bars, as opposed to the one in males. These are present after around 16 weeks of age when the birds have moulted into adult plumage. Young grey partridges are mostly yellow-brown and lack the distinctive face and underpart markings. The song is a harsh, high-pitched kieerr-ik, and when disturbed, like most of the gamebirds, it flies a short distance on rounded wings, often calling rick rick rick as it rises. They are a seed-eating species, but the young in particular take insects as an essential protein supply. During the first 10 days of life, the young can only digest insects. The parents lead their chicks to the edges of cereal fields, where they can forage for insects. 
Size
30-33 cm (11.8-13 in)
Colors
Brown
Gray
White
Life Expectancy
7 years
Nest Placement
Ground
Clutch Size
10 - 22 eggs
Incubation Period
1 brood
Number of Broods
21 - 26 days
Feeding Habits
Grey Partridge forage on the ground, consuming mostly seeds from various grains and weeds, greens, plus insects in summer. Chicks consume insects initially. Their diet includes wheat, barley, corn, sunflower seeds, and more.
Habitat
Grey Partridge chiefly inhabits open countryside featuring a mosaic of cultivated lands, hedgerows, and bushy pastures. They show a preference for meadows and agricultural fields that provide both cover and foraging opportunities. Adaptable in terms of altitude, grey Partridge are found from sea level to the lower mountain slopes. While generally favoring temperate climates, grey Partridge can withstand colder conditions, utilizing adjacent wooded areas during heavy snow in winter for shelter and food.
Nest Behavior
Grey Partridge engages in nest building and lining during the breeding season, which happens in spring. Females lay numerous eggs and, together with the males, exhibit biparental care for the eggs and consequent hatchlings.
Nest Characteristics
Grey Partridge typically creates ground nests in fields, hedgerows, or roadsides, forming a scrape or shallow depression lined with grasses or crop stalks. The nest's shape is often a simple, unassuming cup.
Dite type
Granivorous
People often ask
General Info
Sounds
Call
Recording location: Belgium
Call
Recording location: Belgium
Call
Recording location: Belgium
Behavior
Grey Partridge typically engage in daily activities that revolve around foraging for seeds during the quieter times of dawn and dusk. They exhibit strong social structures as they move in cohesive groups, showing a preference for open cover or crop stubble to rest during the day. Known for their skittish nature, grey Partridge can swiftly burst into low-ground, short-distance flights upon disturbance. Unique social dynamics emerge within and between their coveys, including monogamous pairings and distinct courtship behaviors like the female's bowing and neck-rubbing. Aggression is more pronounced during courtship, leading to inter-covey conflicts. Despite their agility, grey Partridge face many predators, contributing to their brief lifespans.
Distribution Area
Widespread and common throughout much of its range, the grey partridge is evaluated as "of Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. However, it has suffered a serious decline in the UK, and in 2015 appeared on the "Birds of Conservation Concern" Red List. This partridge breeds on farmland across most of Europe and across the western Palearctic as far as southwestern Siberia and has been introduced widely into Canada, United States, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. A popular gamebird in vast areas of North America, it is commonly known as "Hungarian partridge" or just "hun". They are also a non-migratory terrestrial species, and form flocks in numbers of up to 30 outside of the breeding season.
Species Status
Though common and not threatened, it appears to be declining in numbers in some areas of intensive cultivation such as Great Britain, probably due to a loss of breeding habitat and insecticides harming insect numbers, an important food source for the species. Their numbers have fallen in these areas by as much as 85% in the last 25 years. Efforts are being made in Great Britain by organizations such as the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust to halt this decline by creating conservation headlands. In 1995, it was nominated a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species. In Ireland, it is now virtually confined to the Lough Boora reserve in County Offaly where a recent conservation project has succeeded in boosting its numbers to 900, raising hopes that it may be reintroduced to the rest of Ireland.
Scientific Classification
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