Partridge

Plump, midsize birds with curved bills, partridges live in a variety of habitats around the world, including forests, grasslands, and rocky plains. Despite what you may have heard about pear trees, the 56 partridge species are ground-dwellers, using their short, sturdy legs and strong claws to dig for food or make nests. These pheasant relatives generally run quickly, though they will burst into flight if danger looms. Adults eat seeds, leaves, and invertebrates, while chicks feed mostly on insects. Some species, such as the Gray partridge and the chukar, eat only plants. “partridge” isn’t actually a family. It’s a genus within the family Phasianidae, which includes partridges, pheasants, turkeys, grouse, francolins, and Old World quail. Male chukkas, native to North America, Europe, and the Middle East, court females by walking around them and striking various poses, sometimes with one wing sweeping the ground. In North America and Europe, Gray partridge females initiate courtship, bowing to the male, bobbing their heads, and rubbing their necks against his. In China’s south-central Sichuan Province, the endangered Sichuan partridge may have as few as a thousand individuals left in the wild. The forest-dwelling bird has suffered from habitat loss, particularly due to illegal logging.