Grey Partridge

Grey Partridge

English partridge, Hungarian partridge, Hun, Grey-legged partridge

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Perdix perdix
Population size
3.9-7.6 Mlnlnn
Life Span
3-5 years
Weight
385-500
13.6-17.6
goz
g oz 
Length
28-32
11-12.6
cminch
cm inch 
Wingspan
53-56
20.9-22
cminch
cm inch 

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.

Di

Diurnal

Cr

Crepuscular

He

Herbivore

Gr

Granivore

Fo

Folivore

Ca

Carnivore

In

Insectivores

Te

Terrestrial

Pr

Precocial

Ov

Oviparous

Mo

Monogamy

So

Social

Fl

Flocking

No

Not a migrant

G

starts with

Appearance

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.

Video

Climate zones

Grey Partridge habitat map
Grey Partridge
Attribution-ShareAlike License

Habits and Lifestyle

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.

Group name
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

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.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
INCUBATION PERIOD
23-25 days
FEMALE NAME
hen
MALE NAME
cock
BABY NAME
chick
web.animal_clutch_size
20 eggs

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.

Population

Population threats

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.

Population number

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.

Fun Facts for Kids

  • When flying, the short wings of the Grey partridge produce whirring noise.
  • Grey partridge hens lay the largest clutches among all bird species. Clutch sizes can reach up to 20 eggs.
  • When defending their chicks, Grey partridge males can be very brave; they won't hesitate to attack stoats, weasels, and even humans.
  • Gray partridge males are very jealous and will readily demonstrate it if a member of a different group comes too close to their mate. They will ruffle their neck feathers, stick out their breast, and flick their tail.

Coloring Pages

References

1. Grey Partridge on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_partridge
2. Grey Partridge on The IUCN Red List iste - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22678911/85929015
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/705901
4. Video creator - https://avibirds.com

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