Data Zone
Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Near Threatened | A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd |
| 2018 | Near Threatened | A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd |
| 2016 | Near Threatened | A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd |
| 2012 | Near Threatened | A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd |
| 2009 | Least Concern | |
| 2008 | Least Concern | |
| 2004 | Least Concern | |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| Migratory status | altitudinal migrant | Forest dependency | low |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 1,410,000 km2 | |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 79600-154200 mature individuals | poor | estimated | 2020 |
| Population trend | decreasing | - | inferred | 2015-2025 |
| Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 10-29% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 10-29% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 10-29% | - | - | - |
| Generation length | 2.8 years | - | - | - |
Population justification: The breeding population, which is confined to Europe, is estimated to number 39,800-77,100 pairs, which equates to 79,600-154,200 mature individuals (BirdLife International in prep.).
Trend justification: The species is thought to be declining moderately rapidly, particularly in the Balkans, based on a balanced assessment of the available evidence (Griffin 2011, A. Bernard-Laurent in litt. 2012, BirdLife International in prep.). The species is declining owing to habitat degradation, caused in many places by agricultural abandonment resulting in increased woody cover of previously discontinuous vegetation (Budinsky et al. 2011, Knaus et al. 2018, Rippa et al. 2011, R. Lentner in litt. 2020). The expansion of dense Brachypodium genuense dominated grassland in the Apennines is similarly reducing suitable habitat for the species (Brusaferro et al. 2019). It is also declining owing to over-hunting in some areas (del Hoyo et al. 1994) especially where enforcement is poor allowing permits to be sold on to foreign hunters (B. Rubinić in litt. 2020). This is reflected in its classification as Threatened or Near Threatened in a number of recently published national Red Data Books (covering c. 70% of the species’s global population) in which the species has been classified on the basis of population declines thought to approach or exceed 30% over the last three generations.
Hunting opportunity information (C. Thomaides in litt. 2020), based on abundance rather than number of licences issued, showed a reduction in Greece of greater than 20% between 2008/9 and 2018/9. The trend in hunting bag data (A. Gassios, C. Kalaitzis, D. Nikolau and C. Thomaides in litt. 2020) also shows a rapid decline, equivalent to 45-46% over ten years (99,900-115,800 individuals in 2012/13 and 68,800-80,800 in 2017/18), but there was a decrease in the number of licences issued over this period due to the economic downturn, such that the rate of decline is not believed to be this rapid. In the absence of published monitoring data, inferences from hunting opportunity bags also appear to be the most robust information on populations in the Italian Alps, as these are based on annual plans based on censuses in spring and at the end of summer (M. Sorrenti and V. Trocchi in litt. 2020). These demonstrate a sudden decrease between the period 2006-2008 (annual mean 1,117) and 2009-2014 (annual mean 573 (Artuso 2014, 2019), a ten-year decline approaching 50%.
Overall, the decline over ten years (generation length for the species is 2.8 years [Bird et al. 2020]) is suspected to approach, but not currently exceed, 30%.
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Austria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Belgium | extant | introduced | yes | |||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bulgaria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Croatia | extant | native | yes | |||
| France | extant | native | yes | |||
| Germany | extant | native | yes | |||
| Greece | extant | native | yes | |||
| Italy | extant | native | yes | |||
| Lebanon | extant | introduced | yes | |||
| Liechtenstein | extinct | native | yes | |||
| Montenegro | extant | native | yes | |||
| North Macedonia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Romania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Serbia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Slovenia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Spain | extant | introduced | yes | |||
| Switzerland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Türkiye | extant | vagrant |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest | Temperate | suitable | resident |
| Shrubland | Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation | suitable | resident |
| Altitude | 0 - 2400 m | Occasional altitudinal limits | (max) 3000 m |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Agro-industry farming | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Climate change & severe weather | Storms & flooding | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Alectoris chukar | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Alectoris rufa | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Food - human | subsistence, national |
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | international |
| Sport hunting/specimen collecting | subsistence, national |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/rock-partridge-alectoris-graeca on 23/12/2024.
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 23/12/2024.