by Christopher Chatterton

Created on: September 19, 2010

Like most birds, the Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix), also known, as the 'English Partridge', has had to adapt to the encroachment of man into its once natural habitat. Traditionally a bird of open grasslands, the Grey Partridge has adapted to live on farmland, where it makes the most of the abundance of invertebrates, which are attracted to crops.

Grey Partridge breed in lowland Britain and only at a few sites in Ireland. They are most numerous in central and eastern England as well as southeast Scotland. Grey Partridge’s are also found in central and southern Europe, parts of Russia and has been introduced into North America (Holden & Cleeves, 2002). Despite once being an abundant countryside bird, there has been a dramatic decline since the 20th century. However, in recent years populations have been boosted by continental imports, particularly from Eastern Europe: hence the alternative colloquial name of ‘Hungarian Partridge’ (Burton, 1981).  

Identification

Grey Partridges are rather small game birds, measuring 11-12-inches in length (29-31cm), they are half as big as a Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus). It is a plump bird with a proportionately small head and short legs. Its brown and grey streaked plumage, chestnut-barred flanks, and its grey breast keep the Grey Partridge well camouflaged amongst long grass. Adults of both sexes have an orange face and a dark brown ’horseshoe’ mark on their bellies. Females are smaller than males and have a less obvious horseshoe mark than the male (Holden & Cleeves, 2002). In flight, birds show a reddish tail. Juveniles lack the adult markings and are mostly brown coloured and streaked like a young Pheasant (Burton, 1981).

Grey Partridges moult between June and October, with the female beginning when the eggs hatch. There is also a second partial moult before breeding (Holden & Cleeves, 2002).   

Behaviour

For most of the year, Grey Partridges form flocks called 'Coveys', which consist of between 6-15 individuals, with pairs forming from the group in late winter. These 'Coveys', or flocks, are gathered by gamekeepers on shooting estates in early September, which will stay grouped together even when disturbed (Burton, 1981), which unfortunately makes them easy targets.

Grey Partridge are most active at dawn and dusk. When feeding or resting, birds appear hunched up or stooped. If they are disturbed, Grey Partridges will try to avoid flying, preferring

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