The Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) is the compact, round-bodied game bird of farmland found naturally across large parts of Europe and western Asia, with a rusty-orange face and throat, grey neck and breast, and a brown-streaked back. Males show a distinctive chestnut-brown, horseshoe-shaped mark on the pale belly that is weaker or absent in females. The bird measures roughly 29–31 cm long, with a wingspan of about 45–48 cm and a weight of 320–410 grams, giving it a rounded, short-legged, rather plump impression. When flushed it reveals a short, rust-brown tail and glides low over the ground on stiff, downward-bowed wings before dropping back into cover.
Its territorial call is a dry, somewhat rusty, creaking "kirr-ikk" often heard at dusk and dawn in spring, while a quick cackling alarm accompanies its explosive flush. The Grey Partridge nests on the ground, well hidden among field edges or dense vegetation, and is known for exceptionally large clutches of 10–20 eggs — among the biggest of any Swedish bird. Chicks leave the nest almost immediately and stay together with their parents in a family group, or covey, well into winter. An omnivore, it feeds mainly on seeds, shoots and other plant material, though insects are crucial for growing chicks in summer. Found mainly in farmland in southern and central Sweden, the species has declined sharply as intensified agriculture and pesticide use have stripped away the insect-rich field margins it depends on for both food and cover.
Read about this species in Swedish →