Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (extent of occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population is extremely large, but is estimated to be declining at a slow to moderate rate, but that this rate does currently approach the thresholds for listing as threatened. As such it is assessed as Least Concern.
Extensive monitoring across the native range is necessary for the timely detection of any potential increase in the rate of population reduction.
Population justification
The European breeding population is estimated to be 1,140,000-1,880,000 pairs, which equates to 2,290,000-3,750,000 mature individuals (BirdLife International 2021). The European estimate covers approximately 70% of the global range, so a preliminary estimate of the global population size is 3,300,000-5,300,000 mature individuals. The introduced, non-native population in the U.S. is now estimated at 820,000 individuals (Partners in Flight 2021).
Trend justification
The species has suffered marked declines in all parts of its native range owing to habitat loss and degradation caused by agricultural intensification, the loss of insect prey caused by pesticides, and predation (Carroll et al. 2020). These declines correspond with the long-term (1980-2018) decline reported for the European population by the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS; EBCC 2018), equating to an overall decline of 19% over 10 years for the region (BirdLife International 2021). Rates of reduction are higher within the EU, estimated to be greater than 30% over the same period (BirdLife International 2021). Rates of reduction in the remainder of the range need to be determined, but are suspected to be similar to or lower than the European average rate (i.e. the rate within the EU is higher than in the rest of the range). Accordingly, the species is not though to meet or approach the required thresholds for listing as threatened, but is assessed as declining at a slow to moderate rate. Given uncertainty in the extent of impacts from hunting, both agricultural intensification and habitat change due to agricultural abandonment in parts of the European range, pollution and changes in predation patterns coupled with changes in weather patterns on population structure (Carroll et al. 2020), extensive sampled monitoring to inform the species' population trend is necessary.
The species occurs throughout much of the western Palearctic, with a native range encompassing Portugal, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Moldova, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, Türkiye, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and China (del Hoyo et al. 1994, Carroll et al. 2020). The subspecies italica, endemic to parts of Italy, has been extinct since the 1980s as a result of hybridisation with introduced individuals of the nominate subspecies (Liukkonen-Anttila et al. 2002). Other subspecies (in addition to nominate subspecies perdix) include sphagnetorum (found in Netherlands and Germany), armoricana (found across areas of France), hispaniensis (occurring in Portugal and Spain), lucida (from Finland to Russia, the Black Sea, and Northern Caucasus), robusta (parts of Russia, to Kazakhastan, Siberia, and even Northwestern China), and canescens (occurring from Türkiye and the Caucasus to Iran) (Carrol et al. 2020).
It is found in the temperate zone, steppe regions and open arable landscapes (Carroll et al. 2020). Its preferred habitat is open, low-intensity mixed farmland and grasslands with small fields and hedges on grassy banks (Potts 1986, Birkan and Jacob 1988, Carroll et al. 2020). It is found in large tracts of grassland, or other ground cover that is only slightly taller than the bird itself with some dense shrubby patches at intervals such as hedgerows (Carroll et al. 2020). Given its preference of traditional agricultural practices where these hedgerows are maintained, and where pesticide use is minimal, the species can be found mostly across wheat-belts of northern Europe and North America (Carroll et al. 2020). Laying occurs from late April in the U.K., early May to June in central Europe and late May to June in Sweden with re-nesting until August or September (Carroll et al. 2020). It typically lays 15–17 eggs in the first clutch but fewer eggs when re-nesting. The nest is a shallow depression lined with plant material at the base of a hedge or other thick vegetation (Madge and McGowan 2002). It feeds on seeds of grains and weeds, cereals and clover and grass leaves as well as insects. The species is mainly sedentary however it is partially migratory in eastern Europe and performs altitudinal migration in the Caucasus moving to the foothills in October and November (Carroll et al. 2020).
In Europe since the early part of the 20th century, the species may have declined in all 31 countries in which it is found. In the U.K., the reduction in numbers is believed to be as high as 80%; causes probably include factors such as loss of nesting cover, predation, herbicides (chick survival rates in U.K. declined from 49% to 32% once their use became widespread) and pesticides that reduce insect abundance in the spring. All of these factors are the consequences of intensification of agricultural practices (Carroll et al. 2020), causing significant stressors despite the species' adaptability to agricultural habitats. Abandoning low-intensive agriculture, and therefore rewilding areas are also known to cause local declines (Novoa et al. 2002). The species is also hunted in many parts of Europe and is considered an economically important gamebird (Carroll et al. 2020). Changes in weather patterns may also have a significant impact on numbers (such as severe winters causing increased mortality; Potts 1986, Panek 1990, Carroll et al. 2020); exact extent of impacts are however currently unknown.
Conservation Actions Underway
Mace Lande: Safe. Considered a Species of European Conservation Concern (SPEC: Carroll et al. 2020). EU Birds Directive Annex II and III, Perdix perdix italica and Perdix perdix hispaniensis Annex I. A national Species Management Plan for the Italian Grey Partridge (P. p. italica) was published in 1999 (Palumbo and Gallo-Orsi 1999). It is a priority species under the U.K. Biodiversity Action Plan (Aebischer and Ewald 2004). In the U.K., supplementary winter feeding is also being attempted to benefit this, and other declining granivorous birds, on farmland (Carroll et al. 2020). Reintroduction programmed in the U.K. have not been significantly successful however (Vinicombe et al. 1993). In Ireland, the species was estimated to number 1,000 individuals in 2010 resulting from intensive management of habitats, captive breeding and predator control (O'Gorman 2011). In North America the introduced population is managed as gamebirds in 21 states, and are not hunted and/or protected in 4 states (Vander Zouwen 1990a): hunting regulations and stocking and habitat management programmes are in place (Jahn and Schenck 1990, Vander Zouwen 1990a, b) for a non-native population.
Conservation Actions Proposed
Within Europe, recommendations to address current population reductions include: provision of good-quality nesting cover; reduction of nest predation by controlling impact of foxes, stoats and feral cats and improving insect abundance in spring so that chicks have sufficient prey items (Carroll et al. 2020).
Text account compilers
Martin, R., Fernando, E.
Contributors
Ashpole, J, Butchart, S., Ekstrom, J., Everest, J., Grice, H., Khwaja, N., Piggott, A., Rutherford, C.A., Staneva, A. & Symes, A.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Grey Partridge Perdix perdix. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/grey-partridge-perdix-perdix on 22/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/11/2024.