The red-legged partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is sometimes known as French partridge, to distinguish it from the English or grey partridge. The genus name is from Ancient Greek alektoris a farmyard chicken, and rufa is Latin for red or rufous.
Region
Southwestern Europe
Typical Environment
Native to the Iberian Peninsula, much of France, and northwest Italy, it has been widely introduced to the British Isles and parts of other Western European countries. It favors open, dry farmland with hedgerows, vineyards, scrubby hillsides, garrigue, and steppe-like habitats. Dense forest and very wet ground are generally avoided, though it uses field margins and edges with scattered cover. In introduced areas it occupies similar agricultural mosaics and heaths. It is largely sedentary, moving locally in response to weather and food availability.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 3/5
Also called the French partridge, it is a popular gamebird widely introduced outside its native range for hunting. It prefers to run rather than fly, bursting into short, whirring flights only when pressed. Its striking white throat bordered by a black collar and its red bill and legs make it easy to identify at a distance. Coveys often gather in autumn and winter, producing a distinctive chattering chorus.
In Scotland
Red-legged partridge hanging for sale outside a butcher's shop in Ludlow, Shropshire, England
Temperament
wary and terrestrial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with explosive takeoff
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season they form coveys that feed and roost together, often dust-bathing communally. Pairs form in spring, and nesting is on the ground in a shallow scrape hidden in grass or scrub. Clutches are large, and both adults guard the precocial chicks. When threatened, groups scatter and run before flushing at close range.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
The call is a loud, rolling series of chucking notes that accelerate and then slow, often delivered in chorus by a covey. Males give a rhythmic, rattling chuk-ar-chuk-ar that carries across open country. Soft contact clucks keep groups coordinated while feeding.
Plumage
Grey-blue breast and flanks boldly barred with black, chestnut, and white; warm brown upperparts with a buff belly. A clean white throat bordered by a sharp black collar extends as a black line through the eye. Feathers are compact and smooth, with a neat, glossy appearance on the head and neck.
Diet
It feeds mainly on seeds, grains, and green shoots from grasses and forbs. Buds, leaves, and agricultural crops such as cereals are taken seasonally. Insects and other small invertebrates are especially important for chicks and are also eaten by adults in spring and early summer. Grit is ingested to aid digestion.
Preferred Environment
Most feeding occurs on the ground in open fields, stubble, fallow plots, and along field margins and tracks. It also forages in vineyards, orchards, and scrubby slopes where cover is close at hand. Water sources nearby are used for drinking, especially in dry regions.
