Sunday 23 August 2009

Red Legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)

OTHER NAMES: Red Partridge, French Partridge
Latin Etymology: Alectoris ("farmyard fowl") rufa ("red/ruddy")
Adult Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa - unknown subspecies) at Geddington, Kettering - April 2013

Featured Subspecies: Unknown - introduction
Weight: 500-550g  /  Length: 34-38cm  /  Wingspan: 47-50cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

After the pheasant, the red legged partridge is easily the most common gamebird. They are however more difficult to photograph as they are more prone to fly off than pheasants. They are however also more likely to enter into the edges of towns and gardens. Depending on how common they are where you live they may be quite easy to photograph.  In the UK they are an introduced species for the purpose of shooting from their native range of France and Iberia, but I have had a brief view of true native birds near Madrid.


Related Species:
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae 
Genus: Alectoris 
Subspecies: A. r. hispanica, A. r. intercedens, A. r. rufa 

- Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM - Introduced breeding species supplemented by releases (82,000 territories)
 - Birds seen regularly around Geddington and other rural locations.
SPAIN - Spanish - Perdiz comĂșn ("Common Partridge")
Scarce and Local Resident
 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: Several seen around Madrid.
 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Assorted farmland locations.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red ListRSPBWikipedia, Xeno-canto

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