Partridge

Partridges belong to the smooth-legged chicken family. Unlike a grouse, like a capercaillie, they don’t have feathers on their feet.

Characteristics

What do partridges look like?

The partridge looks a bit chubby: its physique is similar to that of an ordinary chicken; however, its neck, tail, and legs are shorter. The partridge is significantly smaller than a chicken. It grows to a maximum of 30 centimeters long, weighs 300 to 450 grams, and has a wingspan of around 45 centimeters.

The feathers of the partridge are reddish-brown to brown. The feathers are lighter only on the belly and chest. Incidentally, females and males look very similar, the only difference can be seen in a chestnut-brown, horseshoe-shaped spot on the chest: the spot is more clearly visible on the male than on the female.

Where do partridges live?

The partridge lives throughout Europe – from England in the west to northern and central Asia in the east. There are also partridges in North America and New Zealand – but only for one reason: humans brought them there. Many years ago, partridges lived only in the steppes of Africa and in the heathlands of Eastern Europe. Only when people in Central Europe began to farm more did the partridge find a suitable habitat here.

In open landscapes where the ground is overgrown with grasses, partridges are particularly fond of nesting and breeding. They love meadows that are rarely mowed and fields with tall plants. Partridges can hide well there and find enough food. Partridges also feel at home in heathland, moorland, steppes, and on the edges of deserts. They avoid areas with lots of trees.

What types of partridges are there?

The partridge is a member of the pheasant family and belongs to the gallinaceous birds. Two close relatives of the European partridge “Perdix perdix” occur in Asia. “Perdix barbara” lives in China, “Perdix hogsoniae” is found in the mountains of Central Asia and in the Himalayas.

Behave

How do partridges live?

The partridge is a funny bird! Although it can fly, it prefers firm ground under its claws: it builds its nest on the ground, breeds on the ground, and forages on the ground. For “bathing” you don’t go into the water but roll around in sand or dust. Partridges never perch in trees or other elevated places. Even when fleeing enemies, the partridge rarely takes to the air; It doesn’t have to, because it can run incredibly fast. If the partridge does take off from the ground, it always stays just above the ground.

The partridge spends the cold season in the company. Already in summer several partridge families get together and form a so-called chain. Up to 20 animals then go together in search of food. These groups only break up in the spring. Females and males then live together as pairs again – often months before they start incubating. Each partridge pair is now looking for its own breeding territory, which is defended against other pairs.

Friends and foes of the partridge

It is dangerous for partridges on the ground because there are also some animals that partridges like to eat: foxes, cats, hedgehogs, and martens. But the partridges are also threatened from the air by birds of prey, crows, and magpies.

How do partridges reproduce?

By April at the latest, the partridge pairs have looked for a breeding ground. Then they build their nest – a well-hidden hollow padded with plants. The female lays her eggs in early May. Incidentally, partridges are world champions when it comes to laying eggs: twenty-three eggs have already been found in one partridge nest – more than in any other bird!

On average, however, a partridge “only” lays 15 to 17 eggs. Incidentally, there is a good reason why partridges lay so many eggs: many young ones fall prey to their enemies in the first few weeks after birth. Of course, laying a lot of eggs increases the chance that at least some of the young birds will survive.

The partridge parents do everything in their power for this. While the female incubates the eggs, the male monitors the area surrounding the nest, feeding his mate and alerting her when danger is imminent.

After about 25 days, i.e. from the beginning of June, the young partridges hatch. They weigh around eight grams and are completely brown – which makes them well camouflaged. The young stand on their own two feet from the start: they leave the nest immediately and look for food nearby. Mother and father take care of them. Together the family forms a partridge chain again.

They are adults when they are three to four months old. They spend the winter in a group before starting a family themselves the following spring.

Care

What do partridges eat?

Just like ordinary chickens, the partridges scratch at the ground and pick their food here and there: berries, grains, and seeds. But they also like to nibble on plants and eat grasstops, clover, herbs, seedlings, and young grain.

Young birds consume protein-rich insects, especially in the first few weeks of their lives. They eat caterpillars, spiders, pupae, harvestmen, flies, and grasshoppers. Later, the boys slowly change their diet until they eat 90 percent plant-based food – just like their parents. Sometimes, however, partridges can also be observed picking up and swallowing pebbles. These stones help the bird’s digestion: they grind the food in the partridges’ stomachs.