Rock Partridge

Overview

The rock partridge (Alectoris graeca) is a gamebird in the pheasant family, native to southern Europe and closely related to the chukar partridge. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss and over-hunting in parts of its range.

Identification

• A rotund bird with a light brown back, grey breast, and buff belly.
• Distinctive white face featuring a sharply defined black gorget.
• Rufous-streaked flanks and red legs.
• Noisy call described as a "ga-ga-ga-ga-chakera- chakera- chakera".

Habitat

This species is a resident breeder in dry, open, and often hilly country. Its natural range is native to southern Europe, though it co-occurs with relatives in areas where they have been introduced as gamebirds.

Diet

The rock partridge takes a wide variety of seeds and consumes some insect food.

Did you know?

A paleosubspecies, A. g. martelensis, is known only from fossils, while the Apennine population likely crossed the Adriatic via a land-bridge during the last ice age.