Common partridge

Description

The common partridge, like all members of the genus, is of stocky build with short legs, short round tail and short round wings. The orange-brown head, light gray forebody and reddish-brown lateral banding are characteristic. The tail, with the exception of the central rectrix, is vivid russet. There is a more or less pronounced dark brown patch in the shape of a horseshoe at the center of the lower breast, sometimes absent in females and often much smaller. In spring and summer the common partridge wears the nuptial plumage, in autumn and winter the basic plumage. The straight beak is yellow and brown or gray at the base. Common partridges have a body length of about 30 centimeters, a wing length of 14.6 to 16 centimeters, and a tail length of 7.2 to 8.5 centimeters. Males and females are similar in size; however, the latter are slightly heavier. Body weight ranges from 290 to 415 grams for males and 300 to 475 grams for females.

The common partridge lives mainly in lower altitudes below 600 m, but it can also be found in higher altitudes of the low mountain ranges and alpine valleys. The original habitats were steppes, especially tree and shrub steppes. Due to their high adaptability, common partridges are synanthropic birds and live in heaths as well as on arable land, grassland and fallow land, herbaceous meadows and in richly structured mixed areas. In warmer areas with fertile soils the highest population densities are reached. Optimal habitats are characterized by alternating multi-crop agricultural use with hedgerows, shrubs, field and road margins, offer small-scale structured plots and have little forest cover. Necessary cover is provided by a high proportion of boundary lines. Boundary lines are characterized by many hedge strips and thus much cover. Stubble fields and fallow land are very popular as resting and feeding places. Areas with winters with little snow are clearly preferred. Root crop fields (potatoes, beets, cabbage) provide optimal conditions, as there is good protection from weather deformities and aerial predators under the large-leaved plants. The raw soils between the plants warm up quickly and dry out quickly, allowing dust baths and rapid escape.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebhuhn). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 17 December 2021 2021