Red-legged Partridge
Alectoris rufa
Unlike many gamebirds, the Red-legged Partridge prefers to outrun predators on its sturdy pink legs rather than taking to the sky.
- Scientific name
- Alectoris rufa
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Galliformes › Phasianidae › Alectoris
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Open dry grasslands, agricultural farmland, and Mediterranean-style scrubland.
- Diet
- Omnivorous, focusing on seeds, roots, and grasses, while chicks rely heavily on insects.
- Range
- Spain, Portugal, France, United Kingdom, Italy
- Size
- 32-34 cm in length with a 45-50 cm wingspan.
- Lifespan
- 2-5 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Changes in farming practices, pesticide use, and hybridization with the Chukar partridge.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. If you spot a covey, stay still and observe from a distance. Avoid chasing or flushing the birds, as unnecessary flight consumes vital energy reserves. If you find a nest on the ground, do not disturb the eggs or the parent.
The red-legged partridge ( Alectoris rufa ) is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is sometimes known as French partridge , to distinguish it from the English or grey partridge. The genus name is from Ancient Greek alektoris a farmyard chicken, and rufa is Latin for red or rufous.
Photo: Jerry Lanfear, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/a17decd0-2ace-4111-ab92-ab981fa0c613.md