Grey Partridge Perdix perdix
The Grey Partridge, Perdix perdix, is a compact, beautifully marked gamebird belonging to the family Phasianidae, and one of Britain’s most severely declining farmland birds. Adults are richly patterned in grey, chestnut, and buff, with a distinctive orange-brown face and, in males, a striking dark horseshoe marking on the belly. A bird of open arable farmland, rough grassland, and hedgerow-bordered fields, it is entirely dependent on the kind of structurally varied, insect-rich agricultural landscape that has been drastically reduced by intensive farming. Chick survival is closely tied to the abundance of invertebrates in cereal crops during the critical first weeks of life. The species has declined by over 90% since the 1970s and is a Red List species of the highest conservation concern in Britain. Image: © Neil Rolph, Flickr.
Find out more: RSPB, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, iNaturalist, Avi Birds video
Suffolk’s Priority Bird Species
Key
UK BAP Priority Species – Listed as a conservation priority under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
Suffolk Character Species – A species closely associated with Suffolk’s landscape and natural identity.
Suffolk LNRS Key Species – Identified as a priority for recovery under Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Archived action plan, 2004