Red-legged partridge

Lore & Background

The red-legged partridge was formally described in 1758 by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus under the binomial name Tetrao rufus. It is now one of seven partridge species placed in the genus Alectoris, introduced in 1829 by German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup. Three subspecies are recognised: A. r. rufa (Britain, France, north Italy and Corsica), A. r. hispanica (north and west Iberian Peninsula), and A. r. intercedens (east and south Iberian Peninsula).

Adult red-legged partridges are sandy-brown above, pinkish-buff on the belly, and pale grey on the breast, with a prominent gorget of black streaking, bold rufous and black flank-bars, a cream throat, pink legs, and a red bill and eye ring. The crown and upper nape are warm pinkish-brown; the fore crown and lateral edges of the crown are pale blue-grey, with a narrow off-white supercilium. The lores have a solid bar of black feathering above a patch of pinkish-red skin. The black colouration continues behind the eye, broadens, and extends down around the throat-patch to meet the upper edge of the gorget.

The chin and upper throat are creamy-white, bordered behind and below by a solid black gorget. The breast is pale blue-grey, the belly pinkish-buff, and the flanks marked with bold bright rufous-brown bars, typically between eight and ten. The bill is bright red, the iris medium brown, and the legs pinkish-red.

Distribution and habitat

This species breeds naturally in southwestern Europe (France, Iberia and northwest Italy). It has become naturalised in flat areas of England and Wales, where it was introduced as a game species, and has been seen breeding as far north as Sutherland. It is a non-migratory terrestrial species that forms flocks outside the breeding season. It breeds on dry lowlands such as farmland and open stony areas, laying its eggs in a ground nest, and has been known to cohabit with wild rabbits.

Reader's Guide

The red-legged partridge is bred for shooting and sold and eaten as game. In Great Britain, it was introduced from France in the 18th century and has since become an important gamebird. As a Mediterranean species, it thrives in hot, dry areas with sandy soil.

Its ability to breed two clutches simultaneously has led to extensive captive rearing and release for shooting. The breeding of chukars and red-legged/chukar hybrids is prohibited due to its impact on wild populations of red-legs. The red-legged partridge is believed to be in decline across its range.

In New Zealand, many red-legged partridges are kept and bred in captivity in aviaries, where the population is considered secure. These birds are all descendants from one of the last attempts at introducing the species to the wild by the Auckland Acclimatisation Society. A consignment of 1500 eggs was sent from the United Kingdom in July 1980, but delays and overheating resulted in only 135 chicks hatched. Two further consignments totaling 638 eggs sent in mid-1981 produced only 53 chicks.

The programme at Massey University was soon terminated, and all birds were dispersed to other breeders, primarily the game farm at Te Ahoha. By the end of the 1983 breeding season, the population had increased to 940 birds. The current actual status of wild, self-sustaining red-legged partridges in New Zealand is questionable; most of the population is held by back-yard agriculturalists and gamebird breeders or preserves. It is not frequently eaten by the public.