European birds    Bird names   News   Family groups 1-26    Glossary    Plumage    Tips    Thumbnails    Gen. info    Credits    Photos for sale   
NON-PASSERINES     1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10     11     12     13     14 15     16     17     18     19     20     21     22     23     24     25     26     PASSERINES
Common names sorted alphabetically: A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   V   W   Y  

1

Red-legged Partridge

(Alectoris rufa)
Alternate name(s): "French Partridge"
German name(s): "Rothuhn"

Size: 32-35 cm
Weight: 530 g (average)

Similar
species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Red-legged Partridge at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "hispanica"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-lateral view of a Red-legged Partridge (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Obidos, Leiria, Portugal, February 2019]

Lateral view of a Red-legged Partridge (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Castro Verde, Beja, Alentejo, Portugal, September 2020]

Lateral view of a Red-legged Partridge (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, November 2013]

Lateral view of a Red-legged Partridge in an excited state, with its crest erected (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Obidos, Leiria, Portugal, February 2019]

Lateral view of two Red-legged Partridges crossing a road (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, November 2014]

Lateral view of two Red-legged Partridges resting under a tree (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a Red-legged Partridge (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monte do Espargueiro, Mourao, Alentejo, Portugal, December 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Red-legged Partridge (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2023]

Dorsal view of a Red-legged Partridge (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Malarranha, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2023]

Dorsal view of a Red-legged Partridge in an excited state, with its crest erected (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Obidos, Leiria, Portugal, February 2019]

Small covey of Red-legged Partridges (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mequinenza, Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, September 2019]

Red-legged Partridges as game fowl

In England Red-legged Partridges were introduced as game fowl for hunting; the birds shown here were eaten as a delicacy (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Yorkshire Dales, England, September 2014]

Behaviour

Near-dorsal view of two Red-legged Partridges running away from the observer (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, November 2013]

Only when in a panic will Red-legged Partridges fly up to duck into cover (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, November 2014]

Food, Diet

Near-dorsal view of a Red-legged Partridge foraging in a meadow (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2023]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

redpart_jp_20200314.m4a (Portugal) Song (male) © JP
redpart_jp_20200329.m4a (Portugal) Song (male) © JP
redpart_jp_20190614.m4a (Portugal) Song (male) © JP

More Red-legged Partridge sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site?
If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.