Details
Alectoris rufa
A southwest European partridge with red legs and bill, a black necklace pattern, and barred flanks.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
Lives in dry grassland, farmland, vineyards, scrub, and rocky hills where open ground mixes with cover.
The face is white with a black line around the throat. Legs and bill are red, and the flanks are black, white, and chestnut barred.
Small coveys walk on the ground, running or flying low when alarmed. Breeding birds call to mark territories.
Seeds, grain, shoots, fruit, and insects are eaten, often while foraging over dry ground.
Ground nests are hidden in grass or shrubs. Precocial chicks walk with adults and feed soon after hatching.
Hunting management, farmland change, and hybridization with released birds contribute to its near-threatened status.
