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Gray (Hungarian) partridge – Perdix perdix

Characteristics The gray partridge (Hun) is a chunky brown and gray bird weighing slightly less than one pound. The male and female are quite similar. A dark chestnut horseshoe-shaped patch on the abdomen is present in the male. It is pale or absent in the female. The tail feathers are a deep reddish-brown but are covered by the tail coverts except when the bird is in flight. The Hun prefers grain, seeds and insects in summer and fall but can exist largely on green grass in winter. The hun produces large broods and thus can withstand tremendous mortality and still be present in good numbers following the year.

Habitat The Hun was imported in the late 1920s and early 1930s and provided excellent hunting for many years. The population peaked in the mid-1950s but a succession of severe winters resulted in a severe population decline. Presently the population is increasing, particularly in certain areas, and a combination of good winters and an increase in grain growing would benefit the population greatly. The Hun prefers grain, seeds and insects in summer and fall but can exist largely on green grass in winter. The Hun produces large broods and thus can withstand tremendous mortality and still be present in good numbers the following year. The hen lays 15 to 25 eggs in a shallow grass-lined depression. The single brood hatches in late June or early July. The brood stays together through the fall and breaks up into mated pairs in March. Fall coveys average 11 to 13 birds with there being as many as 20 birds in some coveys. During times of deep snow conditions, Huns may appear in farmyards and animal feedlots in search of food. If suitable feeding places are unavailable under such conditions, whole coveys may be lost due to starvation.

www.flickr.com Souris & Area Branch PEI Wildlife Federation's Gray (Hungarian) Partridge photoset

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Souris Branch of the P.E.I. Wildlife Federation

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