Red-legged Partridge

Photo © by nigelblake
Old Warden, Bedfordshire UK

Alectoris rufa

Identification

34–38 cm (13¼-15 in)

• Light brown back
• Grey breast
• Buff belly
• White face
• Black gorget
• Rufous-streaked flanks
• Red legs

Distribution

Europe: found in France, Iberia and Italy.

Introduced to many countries, including Britain and New Zealand.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 3 subspecies^[1]:

• A. r. rufa:

• France, north-western Italy, Elba and Corsica

• A. r. hispanica:

• North and west Iberian Peninsula

• A. r. intercedens:

• East and south Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands

Habitat

Varied habitat, from farmland to moorland.

Behaviour

Breeding

They nest on the ground. The clutch consists of 10-16 smooth, glossy, yellowish-white eggs with reddish-buff or greyish markings, which are incubated for 23-25 days.

Diet

Their diet consists of roots, grain and shoots of grass and cereals, berries. They also take insects (including their eggs).

Vocalisation

Call: ka-chu-chu.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved September 2016)
3. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Red-legged Partridge. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Red-legged_Partridge

External Links

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