Gray Partridge

Gray Partridge, both sexes; Zoetermeer, The Netherlands.

About the photographs

About the map

Play sound from this species

Gray Partridge, both sexes; Zoetermeer, The Netherlands.

Menu

1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

Introduced from Eurasia, the Gray Partridge can be found in flat agricultural land along the length of the Canada-United States border.

Description

Small chicken-like bird. Short neck and tail. Grayish brown back and chest. Dark reddish U-shaped belly patch. Chestnut barring on flanks. Face and throat reddish. Bill and legs gray. Short, rounded wings. Tail chestnut.

• Size: 30-33 cm (12-13 in)
• Wingspan: 53-56 cm (21-22 in)
• Weight: 385-500 g (13.59-17.65 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes similar, but female without belly patch.

Sound

Call a scratchy "kuta, kut, kut, kut."

Conservation Status

Still introduced in some areas. North American populations declining in some areas.

Other Names

Perdrix grise (French)
Hungarian Partridge, European Partridge (English)

Cool Facts

• Gray Partridge hens produce some of the largest clutches of any bird species. Clutch size can range up to 22 eggs, and averages 16 to 18.

Sources used to construct this page:

Carroll,J.P.1993.Gray Partridge (Perdix perdix). In The Birds of North America, No.58 (A. Poole and F.Gill,Eds.).Philadelphia:The Academy of Natural Sciences;Washington,D.C.: The American Ornithologists? Union.