Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca Scientific name definitions

32–37 cm (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); male 550–850 g, female 410–720 g (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); wingspan 46–53 cm. Difficult to separate in field from A. chukar; slight differences in extent of black pattern on head , upper breast  and flank feathers; upperparts generally more bluish grey  , rather than brownish. Female slightly smaller than male , with duller head pattern and no tarsal knob. Juvenile smaller and much duller with less extensive patterning; becomes much like adult at c. 4 months, but retains two outermost primaries for an additional year (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Races separated mainly by tone of plumage coloration and flanks pattern: race <em>saxatilis</em> intergrades with nominate in W Bulgaria and Macedonia, and is similar to latter, except that crown, back and rump are washed olive-brown, with less pure grey upperparts and pinker (less vinous) breast ; race orlandoi has very pale uppertail-coverts and rump, with no vermiculations, and no vermiculations on tail-feathers, quite pale underparts, including undertail-coverts, and very clean and off-white throat surrounded by well-marked black collar, often narrower than in saxatilis but broader than in whitakeri (2 Corso, A. (2012). Additional comments on Rock Partridge morphology: Alectoris graeca orlandoi. Dutch Birding 34(2): 97–99. Close ); race whitakeri has uniform dark grey-brown upperparts, dusky-mottled central rectrices and less boldly U-shaped, almost broken collar (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Closely related to A. chukar, A. magna and A. philbyi (3 Randi, E. (1996). A mitochondrial cytochrome B phylogeny of the Alectoris partridges. Mol. Phyl. & Evol.. 6(2): 214–227. Close ), and has been considered to include all three. Possibly hybridizes with A. chukar in some areas; hybridizes with A. rufa in S French Alps. Race whitakeri seems to have diverged somewhat from other forms (genetic distance of 3.5%) (4 Randi, E., Tabarroni, C., Rimondi, S., Lucchini, V. and Sfougaris, A. (2003). Phylogeography of the rock partridge (Alectoris graeca). Mol. Ecol. 12(8): 2201–2214. Close ), and this race also reasonably distinctive in plumage (5 Corso, A. (2010). Sicilian Rock Partridge: identification and taxonomy. Dutch Birding 32(2): 79–96. Close ). Race orlandoi often subsumed within saxatilis, but appears to be worthy of recognition (5 Corso, A. (2010). Sicilian Rock Partridge: identification and taxonomy. Dutch Birding 32(2): 79–96. Close , 2 Corso, A. (2012). Additional comments on Rock Partridge morphology: Alectoris graeca orlandoi. Dutch Birding 34(2): 97–99. Close ). Four subspecies recognized.

Indeterminate mixed populations of present species and A. chukar introduced into UK, Russia, USA, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand; Hawaiian birds known to derive from A. chukar.

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EBIRD GROUP (POLYTYPIC)

Rock Partridge (European) Alectoris graeca [graeca Group]

Available illustrations of subspecies in this group

• eBird map
• 10 photos
• 1 recordings

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SUBSPECIES

Alectoris graeca saxatilis Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Alps from France to Austria E to W Bulgaria.

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SUBSPECIES

Alectoris graeca orlandoi Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Apennine Mts (Italy).

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SUBSPECIES

Alectoris graeca graeca Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Ionian Is, Greece and S Bulgaria; perhaps this race in Albania (6 Madge, S.C. and McGowan, P. (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London. Close ).

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EBIRD GROUP (MONOTYPIC)

Rock Partridge (Sicilian) Alectoris graeca whitakeri Scientific name definitions

• eBird map
• 5 photos
• 0 recordings

Distribution

Sicily.

• Red-legged x Rock Partridge (hybrid) Alectoris rufa x graeca
• Chukar x Rock Partridge (hybrid) Alectoris chukar x graeca

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Rocky hills and mountain slopes with calcareous rock, short grass, sparse shrub cover and some tree stands; locally from sea-level (e.g. on Sicily and in SE Europe) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) up to 2400 m, exceptionally to 2700 m in Italy. In subalpine zone, usually above 900 m, commonly between 1200 m and 1500 m; favours S-facing slopes (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Not usually recorded in closed forest, but present in open woodlands of Pinus, Larix and Juniperus amongst others; prefers heathland, but also found widely in pastures, grassy areas and low scrub; occurs in rocky ground  , e.g. scree slopes, escarpments and crags. Never very far from water.

Altitudinal movements reported in mountain breeding areas, initially moving higher immediately post-breeding, then lower as winter advances (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), but birds may remain at breeding altitude of 1900–2700 m in winter, if snowfall not too heavy (snow cover is a limiting factor in some parts of range) (7 Lüps, P. (2004). Schnee als limitierender Faktor für das Steinhuhn Alectoris graeca in den Schweizer Alpen – eine Übersicht [Snow cover as a limiting factor for the Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca in the Swiss Alps – a review]. Orn. Beob.. 101: 295–306. Close ). Odd occurrences in Romania in past may be consequence of local movements, and migrations of up to 25 km between summer and winter ranges have been recorded in S French Alps, unprompted by inclement weather conditions (8 Bernard-Laurent, A. (1991). Migrant Rock Partridges (Alectoris graeca saxatilis) in the southern French Alps. Journal of Ornithology. 132(2): S220-223. Close ).

Predominantly vegetarian, eating seeds, fruits and green material, but also some terrestrial invertebrates. Chicks, and females in spring, consume relatively high proportions of invertebrates, mainly adult and larval insects, e.g. Orthoptera (grasshoppers), Coleoptera (beetles), Diptera (flies), Lepidoptera (caterpillars) and Formicidae (ants). Contents of 11 stomachs in Yugoslavia included fruits and seeds of grapes, assorted plant matter and grasshoppers, ants and beetles; those from French Alps had leaves and shoots of five plant species, Gentiana lutea seeds, a grasshopper and a snail; contents of 19 stomachs in Albania contained insects (grasshoppers, ants, beetles, bugs), molluscs, a spider and an isopod. Foraging continues day-round in winter, but is concentrated in the early morning and late afternoon in summer (9 Bernard-Laurent, A. and Laurent, J.-L. (1990). Variations saisonnieres de l'activité des perdrix rochassières Alectoris graeca saxatilis x Alectoris rufa rufa dans les Alpes méridionales. Alauda. 58(2): 99-106. Close ).

Most vocal during early morning, especially at dawn (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Main calls considered to more clipped and less guttural than similar vocalizations of A. chukar and A. rufa; a rapidly repeated “chi-TiTiTi-CHIK” is main phrase in both advertisement  and rallying calls, and is considered higher-pitched, quicker-paced and squeakier than those of congeners (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). A total of 18 different, generally harsh or squealing calls, have been distinguished, some of which are shared with other Alectoris (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). On flushing gives a shrill, whistled “peeyou”, followed by a repeated “wittoo-wittoo-wittoo” that is much like analagous vocalization of A. chukar (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Lays from mid May to June in Alps, late Apr to Jun in Greece (earlier in S than N) (10 Hölzinger, J. (1991). Brutperiode des Steinhuhns (Alectoris graeca) in Griechenland. Journal of Ornithology. 132(2): S218-219. Close ); break-up of winter flocks from Feb, with territories established in Mar–Apr; young of hybrid population with A. rufa in S French Alps hatch between late Jun and early Aug (11 Bernard-Laurent, A. (1990). La Perdrix «rochassière» Alectoris graeca saxatilis x Alectoris rufa rufa ; biologie de la reproduction. Alauda. 58(1): 54. Close ). Normally monogamous with long-term pair-bonds; some instances of successive bigamy reported, and some exchange of partners. Nest-site believed to be chosen by male, scrape (lined with scant excavation) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) excavated by female; laying occurs only when territory established; dominant males hold largest territories. Normally 8–14 (6–21) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) creamy-yellow to pale yellow-buff eggs speckled reddish brown (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), laid at 24–36-hour intervals, size 42 mm × 31 mm (12 Harrison, C. J. O., and P. Castell (2002). Bird Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of Britain and Europe with North Africa and the Middle East. Second revised edition. HarperCollins, London, UK. Close ); incubation 24–26 days by female alone, but if female lays second clutch (initiated a few days after first) male will incubate this independently (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); chicks have cream and dark brown down above, creamy buff below; provisioned exclusively or largely by female, but male guards young (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); capable of very weak flight at 6–7 days (12 Harrison, C. J. O., and P. Castell (2002). Bird Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of Britain and Europe with North Africa and the Middle East. Second revised edition. HarperCollins, London, UK. Close ); young fully grown at 90 days, adult weight at 120 days.

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near Threatened. Declining in most parts of its range; populations of c. 25% of localities in Italy lost since 1960s, with overall numbers estimated at 10,000–20,000 pairs in 1983–1993 (13 Snow, D. W., and C. M. Perrins, Editors (1998). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Concise Edition. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ) and considered threatened in Dolomites (14 Cattadori, I.M., Ranci-Ortigosa, G., Gatto, M. and Hudson, P.J. (2003). Is the rock partridge Alectoris graeca saxatilis threatened in the Dolomitic Alps? Animal Conservation. 6: 71–81. Close ); thought to be stable at 7000–13,000 pairs in Greece; in Austria, where hunting remained legal until 1968, still fairly common in W Carinthia, although bag records suggest numbers have declined in last 100 years; marked decrease in Slovenia, where numbers estimated at 200–400 pairs (13 Snow, D. W., and C. M. Perrins, Editors (1998). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Concise Edition. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); declining since c. 1950 in France, where there are now 2000–3000 pairs in spring; and was considered extinct in Germany after the late 1970s (13 Snow, D. W., and C. M. Perrins, Editors (1998). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Concise Edition. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), although there have been annual records in the Alps since 2002 (15 Gedeon, K., C. Grüneberg, A. Mitschke, C. Sudfeldt, W. Eikhorst, S. Fischer, M. Flade, S. Frick, I. Geiersberger, B. Koop, M. Kramer, T. Krüger, N. Roth, T. Ryslavy, S. Stübing, S. R. Sudmann, S. Steffens, F. Vökler, and K. Witt (2014). Atlas Deutscher Brutvogelarten [Atlas of German Breeding Birds]. Stiftung Vogelmonitoring Deutschland und Dachverband Deutscher Avifaunisten, Münster, Germany. Close ). Elsewhere, an increasing population of 2500–3500 pairs occurs in Switzerland (1985–1993) (16 Lüps, P. (1994). Zeichnet sich für den Bestand des Steinhuhns Alectoris graeca eine Trendwende ab? [Upward trend in Rock Partrigde Alectoris graeca population in Switzerland?] Orn. Beob.. 91(1): 25–30. Close ), with 10,000–15,000 pairs in Croatia (slight decrease), c. 20,000 individuals in Bulgaria and 1000–5000 pairs in Albania (latter stable) (13 Snow, D. W., and C. M. Perrins, Editors (1998). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Concise Edition. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Introduction attempt in Hawaii (1959) failed (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), but large numbers released by National Council for Hunting in Lebanon in 1994–1995, where species appears to be colonizing Maasser El Schouf, and could compete with and threaten indigenous A. chukar (17 Ramadan-Jaradi, G., and M. Ramadan-Jaradi (1997). Notes on some breeding birds in Lebanon. Sandgrouse 19(2):122–125. Close ). Old reports that species occurs in Turkey based on formerly persistent confusion with A. chukar (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), but there are recent suggestions that more than 58,000 individuals of A. graeca have been released in some parts of the country (18 Yilmaz, A. and Tepeli, C. (2009). The native partridges of Turkey. Int. Journal Galliform Conserv. 1: 9–11. Close ). In Austria, at least, species said to benefit from human presence in the hills (as do some of its predators), because it feeds close to settlements in winter; as humans have retreated from higher altitudes, so has present species. In the more typical Mediterranean part of its range, habitat loss and degradation are main pressures, mostly resulting from agricultural intensification and urbanization. Decline of traditional agricultural practices in the Italian Apennines has led to declines and a lack of connectivity between subpopulations (19 Rippa, D., Maselli, V., Soppelsa, O. and Fulgione, D. (2011). The impact of agro-pastoral abandonment on the Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca in the Apennines. Ibis. 153(4): 721–734. Close ). Hunting, as well as direct effects, results in considerable pressure on habitat in some areas. Natural predators include Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) (20 Bernard-Laurent, A. (1990). Les sites de plumée de Perdrix rochassières Alectoris graeca saxatilis x Alectoris rufa rufa par les rapaces. Alauda. 58(3): 145-149. Close ).