Pheasants and grouse · Gamebirds
Gray Partridge
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Perdix perdix
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Voice
Song
Call
Song
How to recognize it
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29–31 cm long, rounded silhouette
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Mottled brown back, gray chest and flanks
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White belly; chestnut horseshoe mark usually on males, also on many females
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When disturbed, short flight on rounded wings, often "rick rick rick"
About the species
On open ground, the Gray Partridge can look more brown than gray: its back is mottled, while the chest and flanks are gray and the belly is white. A chestnut horseshoe often marks the belly, especially in males, and its dark bill and legs stand out against the lighter plumage. Females are usually a little duller.
It spends most of its time on the ground, running through cover, and bursts into a short flight when alarmed, often calling "rick rick rick" as it rises. The male gives a harsh, high "kieerr-ik" call. Outside the breeding season, flocks can number up to 30; in spring, pairs separate to nest.
It lives in open country, including cereal fields, grassy steppe and scrubby edges, and nests in a sheltered hollow on the ground. Adults eat seeds, while chicks depend on insects during their first 10 days and forage with their parents along field edges. It is generally non-migratory, though in winter it may move closer to settlements and shelter in shrubs or beside buildings.
Where to find
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In winter, in yards near buildings on the edge of a settlement, look for a tight flock on the sheltered side of the snow, by bushes or structures.
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In spring, at the edges of cereal fields, watch adults lead chicks to forage for insects.
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Across open mixed-grass steppe and fallow land with shrubs, look for the Gray Partridge running quickly over the ground.
