Guide To Finding And Photographing The Rock Partridge

Rock partridges are the chameleons of the mountains. With their grey plumage, they are perfectly adapted to the rocky environment and can easily sneak off in case of danger.

Description

The rock partridge is a squat, roundish ground bird with powerful legs. It is about 35 centimetres long and weighs about 700 grams. (For comparison: The domestic chicken weighs 1.5 to 5.5 kilograms, depending on the breed). Their plumage is mainly grey and light brown with a very distinct black and white pattern on the flanks. Underparts have a pale reddish colour. The bib is white with a black collar going across the eyes to the base of beak. The eye ring, the short beak and the feet are red.

Distribution and habitat

Rock partridges can only be found in southern Europe. They can be observed in the Alps, the Apennines, the Balkans and Sicily. Rock partridges live up to their name and enjoy rocky mountain regions with low shrubs and scattered trees.

They are not migratory birds but move to higher altitudes in summer and come back to lower elevation areas in autumn and winter.

Behaviour

They mainly feed on a wide variety of seeds and other plant materials with juvenile birds also eating insects and larvae. As they pick their food from the ground, partridges need snow-free areas in winter. At higher altitudes, the wind takes care of blowing the snow away, at lower altitudes the birds will often look for food near human settlements.

During courtship, the male looks for a heightened point in its territory and attracts females with its loud singing. The female takes care of the nest and incubates the eggs alone. Once the young have hatched, the male withdraws completely, leaving the female to educate the chicks. After two months, they can find their food without help.

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