Grey Partridge Perdix perdix
A distinctive plump bird with a mottled grey and brown back and short legs, the Grey Partridge can often be seen in Norfolk fields in the autumn and winter.
Conservation status in Norfolk
Both nationally and in Norfolk, the species has undergone a massive decline. The grey partridge is a red-listed species (one of the birds of highest conservation concern) because of a more than 80% decline since the 1970s.
How to help
Support environmentally friendly farming! Farmers and landowners can encourage partridges to nest by maintaining hedgerows with grassy margins at their base and leaving pesticide and herbicide-free field margins to provide insect rich feeding areas for young partridges.
David North
Information on the Grey Partridge
How to recognise
Partridges are distinctive birds; plump, rounded, with short legs. The male grey partridge has an orangey head and throat, a mottled grey and brown back and wings and paler underparts with a distinctive nut-brown horseshoe mark on the belly. The female is similar but duller and lacks the orange on the head and the distinct belly patch.
Where to see
Grey partridges are usually seen on farmland, but they may also occur on coastal marshes and grasslands. Parts of Norfolk do still remain a stronghold for this species, with West Norfolk especially favoured.
When to see
Grey partridges are present in Norfolk all year round, but they are most often seen during autumn and winter in ploughed or stubble fields. Most pairs will have laid 12-15 eggs by April, with the young leaving the nest on hatching and able to fly at 15 days old.
Did you know?
Partridges are said on average to spend only three minutes a day in flight and a group of partridges is called a covey.
Related questions
There are no questions regarding this species, perhaps you should ask us one?