The partridge

• Name: Grey partridge
• Scientific name: Perdix perdix
• Family: Phasianidae (pheasants)
• Order: Galliformes (galliform birds)
• Size: 30 cm
• Age record: 6 years
• Weight: 300–450 g
• Clutch size: 10-20 eggs
• Incubation period: 25 days

The partridge is a small, plump bird that blends in well with the brown tones of the ground. The plumage on the sides of the partridge is reddish-brown to brown, the breast and belly are light gray, and the head is orange-brown. There is a small, dark brown patch in the shape of a horseshoe on the lower breast, which is more pronounced in the more contrasting male.

The male's song can be heard in spring and sounds like a raspy "kirreck."

There is a theory that the name partridge (Middle High German "rephuon") is derived onomatopoetically from the call, which is interpreted as "repp". However, the German etymological dictionary derives the name from an unused adjective for "red-brown" or "mottled". Linking the bird to the grapevine is a more recent development.

The partridge is often referred to as the female pheasant. However, this is incorrect! Partridges and pheasants are two different species. There are male and female pheasants, as well as male and female partridges. The female pheasant has a long tail and is generally larger. Its coloring is similar to that of a female partridge, but the pheasant's plumage lacks the light gray tones. The quail is significantly smaller than the partridge and lives very hidden in the vegetation. Its coloring is similar to that of a female partridge, but the light gray tones are missing from the quail's plumage. Quails are also migratory birds, so they are not found here in winter.

As a resident bird, the courtship period of the partridge begins early in late winter. The nest is well hidden at the edge of field strips among vegetation. The female then incubates 10 to 20 eggs, exceptionally even 29. This strategy of large clutch sizes helps to compensate for the high rate of egg loss. As soon as the chicks hatch, they leave the nest soon as precocial birds and follow their parents, who lead them to food-rich places. There, however, the chicks must find their own food, which consists mainly of protein-rich insects; the parents are merely there as supervisors.

After five weeks, the chicks are independent, but the family group usually remains together until winter. In the cold winter, several partridge families gather in groups. Since they often walk one behind the other to protect themselves from the cold wind, this is also referred to as a "chain". In late winter, the chains break up and it often happens that the same partridge pairs find each other again and start the breeding season.

The diet of the partridge is predominantly vegetarian. They like to peck at grass tips, wild herb seeds, and grain. Small stones help with the digestion of the fiber-rich food by grinding like millstones in the stomach. However, the chicks in particular need more proteins. In the first weeks of life, insects, spiders, and other small animals are preferred.

The partridge occurs in a broad belt from Kazakhstan to Western Europe. The southern limit of its distribution runs through northern Spain and central Italy; in the north, it reaches Oulu in Finland. In North America, the partridge was introduced for hunting purposes starting in the 1790s and now populates a large area in southern Canada and the northern USA. In Austria, the partridge occurs across the board north of the Alps and very rarely in Styria and Carinthia. The Seewinkel is an area where the partridge is still relatively common.

The global population is estimated at 3.3 to 5.3 million individuals, with 70% occurring in Europe. The North American population, which traces back to introduced birds, is estimated at 0.8 million. About 5,000 to 10,000 pairs live in Austria. Although the partridge is still classified as globally least concern, its population is declining sharply in large parts of its distribution area.

In Austria, for example, data from BirdLife's breeding bird monitoring show a population decline of 71% since 1998, although the population remained constant over the last five years. Therefore, the partridge is on the Red List in Austria and also on the "List of birds with priority conservation needs".

The reason for the sharp population decline is the intensification of agriculture. Above all, the loss of field margins and hedgerows as cover structures and the massive use of pesticides make life difficult for partridges. Conservation measures for the partridge, such as the preservation of field margins and the creation of fallow land, promote not only many other threatened bird species but also overall biodiversity, making the partridge a flagship species for a diverse and structurally rich agricultural landscape.

Despite the sharp decline in populations, partridges can still be hunted legally. In the 2024/2025 hunting season, 2,500 partridges were shot by hunters in Austria. In some hunting grounds, bred partridges are released into the wild, but as long as their habitat does not improve, they have little chance of survival.

The scientific name of the partridge, Perdix perdix, goes back according to one interpretation to Greek mythology – more precisely to Perdix, the nephew of Daedalus. Daedalus was a famous inventor and architect in Athens who took in his nephew Perdix as a pupil. But the boy was exceptionally talented and invented new tools himself, such as the saw and the compass. People admired him – and Daedalus became envious. Fearing being surpassed, Daedalus pushed Perdix off the Acropolis. But the goddess of wisdom Athena (who, incidentally, gave the little owl its genus name) saved the boy by turning him into a partridge. Since then, the partridge only flies low over the ground out of fear of being pushed down from high above again.

In the public vote for the "Bird of the Year" in Germany, the partridge won clearly with 44.5 percent. This is intended to draw attention to the population collapses of many bird species in the agricultural and grassland landscape. In Austria, the northern lapwing is the bird of the year this year.