Daurian partridge

The Daurian partridge (Perdix dauurica) is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. The name derives from the Dauria region of Russia.

Daurian partridge

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Perdix
Species:
P. dauurica
Binomial name
Perdix dauurica
(Pallas, 1811)

This partridge breeds on farmland across much of temperate eastern Asia from Kyrgyzstan east to China and Mongolia. It is a non-migratory terrestrial species, which forms flocks outside the breeding season. In parts of its range, it overlaps with the very similar and closely related grey partridge, with which it forms a superspecies.

Eggs, Collection Museum Wiesbaden

Daurian partridge is a bird of open country, ideally with some adjacent bushes or light woodland. The nest is a lined depression in or near cover, and the typical clutch is 18–20 eggs.

It is a rotund bird, 28–30 cm (11–12 in) long, brown-backed, with an orange face and an orange bristly "beard" in the breeding season. The rest of the head and the underparts are grey with a buff central chest and a black belly patch. The female has a smaller belly patch and is duller than the male. Young Daurian partridges are essentially grey-brown, and lack the distinctive face and underpart markings. The song is a hoarse kieerr-ik.

There are three subspecies differing mainly in the plumage becoming darker and more rufous further east.

This is a seed-eating species, but the young in particular take insects as an essential protein supply. When disturbed, like most of the gamebirds, it flies a short distance on rounded wings, often calling rick rick rick as it rises.

Daurian partridge is not globally threatened, but may be over-hunted in parts of its range.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Perdix dauurica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse by Madge and McGowan, ISBN 0-7136-3966-0
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