Alternative name: Philby's Rock-partridge
- Alectoris philbyi
Identification
33-36 cm. Similar to Chukar Partridge and Arabian Partridge.
- Black chin and cheek typical for this species
- Brown-grey upperparts
- Grey breast
- Rufous belly and undertail-coverts
- Black-and-white scaling on flanks with some brown wash
- Bright red bill and facial skin, rose-red legs
Females are slightly bigger than males and have a duller head pattern.
Juveniles are dull brown overall with no face pattern first and finely barred upperparts.
Distribution
Arabian Peninsula, found in southwestern Saudi Arabia and northern Yemen.
A locally common restricted-range species.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Formerly included in Rock Partridge. Was thought to form a superspecies with Chukar Partridge, Barbary Partridge and Red-legged Partridge but now considered to form a superspecies with Rock Partridge, Przevalski's Partridge and Chukar Partridge.
Habitat
Rocky arid areas in mountains.
Occurs from 1280 to 3600 m.
Found in similar habitat to Arabian Partridge but prefers slopes with more bush cover.
Behaviour
Usually seen in coveys of less than 15 birds.
Diet
Not well known, presumably similar to Arabian Partridge.
Breeding
Pairs seen from March to August, nest with eggs recorded from mid June to early July. The nest was placed under a rock or a juniper bush.
Movements
Presumably a sedentary species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Philby's Partridge. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Philby%27s_Partridge
