English partridge, Hungarian partridge, Hun, Grey-legged partridge
The Grey partridge (Perdix perdix) is a gamebird that belongs to the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. Its scientific name is the Latin for "partridge", and is itself derived from Ancient Greek perdix.
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. 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 molted into adult plumage. Young Grey partridges are mostly yellow-brown and lack the distinctive face and underpart markings.
Grey partridges are found in most of Europe and across western Asia. They inhabit open areas such as grasslands and steppes, shrublands, and farmlands with small fields.
Grey partridges are non-migratory terrestrial birds. They are gregarious and form flocks in numbers of up to 30 outside of the breeding season. Grey partridges are diurnal but usually forage at dawn and dusk. They are seed-eating birds, but the young in particular take insects as an essential protein supply. During the first 10 days of life, the chicks can only digest insects and their parents lead them to the edges of cereal fields, where they can catch insects. Grey partridges can be territorial but they don't maintain territories. By day and by night males usually sing a harsh, high-pitched 'kieerr-ik' song. When disturbed, like most of the gamebirds, Grey partridges fly a short distance on rounded wings, often calling 'rick rick rick' as they rise.
Grey partridges are herbivores (granivores, folivores) and carnivores (insectivores). They feed mainly on seeds, but also on cereals, and grass leaves. In the summer these birds supplement their diet with insects.
Grey partridges are monogamous and mate for life. They nest on a ground nest. The nest is usually in the margin of a cereal field, most commonly winter wheat. The female lays up to 20 eggs and incubates them alone for about 23-25 days; during this time the male remains near the nest. The chicks hatch precocial and are able to leave the nest within one hour after birth. They are able to fly at 16-20 days of age but still remain with their parents for some time. Reproductive maturity is usually reached at 1 year of age.
Grey partridges are common and not threatened, however, populations are declining in numbers in some areas of intensive cultivation such as Great Britain. This happens due to a loss of breeding habitat and insecticides harming insect numbers, an important food source for these birds. Their numbers have fallen in these areas by as much as 85% in the last 25 years. Other causes for declines may include hunting, predation, and severe weather.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Grey partridge is around 3,900,000-7,600,000 individuals. In Europe, the breeding population consists of 1,380,000-2,670,000 pairs, which equates to 2,750,000-5,340,000 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.