Grey Partridge
(Perdix perdix)
Facts
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IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)
Facts about this animal
The grey partridge has total length of 29-31cm and a wingspan of 45-48cm. Females are slightly smaller than males and juveniles have a slightly shorter tail than adults. Head and body are rounded, the neck and tail are short. The upper parts of the plumage are mainly dull brown, including the nape and the crown, with the back and rump featuring chestnut barring. The under parts are predominantly grey with further chestnut barring on the flanks and a chestnut tail. The face and head are buff orange.
Grey partridge are gregarious birds and only separate into pairs around February prior to the breeding season, then reform into flocks from July to early August. Adult birds feed principally on plants, the three main groups being grain and weed seeds, cereals and clover, and the green leaves of grasses; a small percentage of insects also feature in the diet. However grey partridge chicks require a diet of over 90% insects in their first few weeks of life.
Did you know?
that grey partridge populations in several European countries fell by more than 80% since 1950? This development has been caused mainly by changing farming practices resulting in a loss of suitable breeding habitats.
| Factsheet | |
|---|---|
| Class | AVES |
| Order | GALLIFORMES |
| Suborder | PHASIANI |
| Family | PHASIANIDAE |
| Name (Scientific) | Perdix perdix |
| Name (English) | Grey Partridge |
| Name (French) | Perdrix grise |
| Name (German) | Rebhuhn |
| Name (Spanish) | Perdiz pardilla |
| Local names | Czech: Koroptev polní Danish: Agerhøne Dutch: Patrijs Estonian: Nurmkana Finnish: Peltopyy Hungarian: fogoly Italian: Starna Polish: Kur opatwa Portuguese: Perdiz-cinzenta Romansh: Pernisch grischa Slovak: Jarabica pol'ná Swedish: Rapphöna Turkish: çilkeklik |
| CITES Status | Not listed |
| CMS Status | Not listed |
Photo Copyright by
BS Thurner Hof
Distribution
| Distribution | |
|---|---|
| Range | Europe, North and Central Asia, introduced to North America |
| Habitat | Farmland, wasteland, moors, steppes and semi deserts |
| Wild population | 5,000,000-10,000,000 individuals (Red List IUCN 2011) |
| Zoo population | 42 reported to ISIS (2006) |
In the Zoo
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How this animal should be transported
For air transport, Container Note 16 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.
Find this animal on ZooLex
Photo Copyright by
Marek Szczepanek
Why do zoos keep this animal
The grey partrdige, originally a characteristic bird of eastern grasslands, is a good example of a hemerophil species, which could expand its range thanks to traditional agriculture, but which recently lost vast parts of its range due to changes in agricultural practices. The grey partrige is thus a flagship species for campaigns aimed at maintaining or restoring biodiceristy in densely settled and intensively used regions of Europe.
Where habitats have been restored, zoos may contribute to reintroduction programmes by making avaiable zoo-bred birds or technical assitance.