Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca)

Measurements: 32-35cm.

The Rock Partridge is one of the few bird species entirely confined to Europe, and then only to mountainous regions between south-east France in the west to Bulgaria and Greece to the east. It is assiduously pernickety about its habitat; it almost always occurs between 900m and 2700m in altitude, and especially between 1200m and 1500m. It is mainly found on calcareous soils in regions of low humidity, and it prefers to have a mix of short turf, low scrub and a few scattered trees available.

By FokusNatur – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19235704

The distinctive plumage of the Rock Partridge and its close relatives is used in display. When males are threatening each other they fluff the feathers on their head and neck and lift their chin, showing off the black-and-white contrast. If this doesn’t work the birds show off their flank-stripes instead, either standing upright or circling around each other.

The same postures are used to court females, and, once successfully formed the pair-bond is usually permanent. The females are rather coy about laying their eggs, and will usually make sure that all the pair’s territorial boundaries are fully established first. Once all is well, they lay 8-14 eggs in a shallow scrape on the ground, selected and made by the male.

From ‘Birds: A Complete Guide to All British and European Species’, by Dominic Couzens. Published by Collins and reproduced with permission.