Pheasants and grouse · Gamebirds
Gray Partridge
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Perdix perdix
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Voice
Song
Jochem Verweij
Call
Linus Lindkvist
Song
Mikko Heikkinen
How to recognize it
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28–32 cm, round-bodied
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Brown mottling above, grey flanks, chestnut-brown sides and tail
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Dark bill and legs
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White belly, male often with a chestnut horseshoe mark
About the species
The Gray Partridge spends most of its time on the ground, moving with quick steps through open country and low cover. When disturbed, it usually flushes only a short distance, then drops back down.
Its call is a rough, high-pitched "kieerr-ik," and the male can give a loud cackle that sounds like a rooster. Outside the breeding season, it gathers in small flocks, and in cold months it may shift closer to villages and farm buildings.
It lives on farmland, grasslands, field edges, and other open places with enough cover nearby. It eats seeds, and young ones also take insects, especially early in life. The nest is a shallow scrape on the ground, usually tucked into a quiet spot near a cereal field.
Where to find
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On weedy vacant lots and along overgrown gully edges — it stays low, darting in short bursts between grass tufts and shrubs.
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By cereal-field margins near the city and on fallow ground — easiest to notice when a small flock pops out of the grass and scurries away on foot.
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On winter days near yards, sheds, and bushes around buildings — look for a tight huddle on the snow on the sheltered side of a wall.
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In river valleys and at shrub-lined meadow edges — the loud cock-like call rings out from cover.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Perdix perdix Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Grey partridge Encyclopedia article