Perdix perdix
Gray Partridges are perhaps most regularly seen in the early morning hours along quiet gravel roads, where they 'gravel up.' Like other seed-eating birds, partridges swallow small stones and sand to help crush the hard seeds they eat. The stones accumulate in the bird's gizzard (a muscular section of the stomach that is lined with hard plates) and help in digestion. Introduced from Eurasia in the early 1900s, the Gray Partridge is now the most abundant grouse over most of the agricultural areas of the Great Plains. While most native grouse have suffered at the conversion of the Plains, this partridge has benefited from the changes. Gray Partridges were formerly known as Hungarian Partridges, and they are still referred to as 'Huns' by many hunters. |
I.D.: General: chestnut barring on the flank; gray breast; mottled brown back; rusty outer tail feathers; unfeathered, yellowish legs. Male: dark brown belly patch; dark chestnut face and throat. Female: white belly; pale chestnut marks on the face and throat. Size: L 11-14 in. (28-36 cm). Range: locally common in grasslands throughout Montana; locally uncommon in the Jackson Hole area. Habitat: grasslands and agricultural fields, especially grain; occasionally in sagebrush flats. Nesting: on the ground, in hayfields or pastures; scratches out a depression and lines the nest with coarse and fine grasses; female incubates 15-17 olive-colored eggs for 21-26 days. Feeding: at dawn and dusk during summer; throughout the day during winter; gleans the ground for waste agricultural grain and seeds; also eats leaves and large terrestrial insects. Voice: at dawn and dusk; sounds like a rusty gate hinge: kee-uck; call when excited is kuta-kut-kut-kut. Similar Species: Chukar: white throat; black barring on the flanks; red legs. |
