A partridge in a pear tree

By Charlotte Owen

WildCall Officer 

‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ won’t officially begin until the 25^th but the festive music is out in force, and if you haven’t already heard this particular Christmas carol it surely won’t be long before you do.  Among the pipers piping and lords a-leaping you’ll find an extensive menagerie of wild birds, beginning with the celebrated partridge in a pear tree.

Partridges are a bit like miniature pheasants.  They might occasionally roost in a tree overnight but are typically ground birds, busily foraging for seeds and leafy shoots.  Of the two species living in Sussex, you’re most likely to spot the red-legged partridge.  This striking little bird does indeed have very red legs, as well as a red bill and eye-ring, and is also known as the French partridge because it was introduced here from south-western Europe in the 1700s.  Now very much at home in Sussex, red-legged partridges can be seen in open farmland along the Downs and the local population is bolstered every year by the release of up to 50,000 captive-bred birds, ready for shooting.  If disturbed they tend to run rather than fly, scurrying off at comical speed to hide amongst the undergrowth. 

red-legged partridge © Derek Middleton

The native grey partridge is almost identical but painted in a more muted palette, with a rusty orange face mask and large, dark eyes.  It was once known as the common partridge but is now a much rarer sight after changes to farming practices over the years have taken their toll.  Thankfully, re-introducing wildlife-friendly management to provide plenty of perfect partridge habitat can have spectacular results.  One of the best examples comes from the Norfolk Estate in West Sussex, where grey partridges had dwindled to just nine remaining pairs and were at risk of disappearing altogether.  By creating a range of wild, grassy banks and field margins to harbour lots of invertebrate food and restoring hedgerows to provide sheltered nesting locations, the population soared to 342 pairs in just ten years.  Concerted conservation efforts on farmland across the county could see the grey partridge thrive here once again – but we’re still unlikely to see one perching in a pear tree.