Skip to main content

Gray Partridge Identification

Looking for ID Help?

Our free app offers quick ID help with global coverage.

Try Merlin Bird ID

The Four Keys to ID

  • Size & Shape

    A plump chickenlike bird with a rotund body, a small head, a short tail, and a short, thick bill. Flies on short and rounded wings.

    Relative Size

    Larger than a Western Meadowlark, smaller than a Ring-necked Pheasant.

    Relative Sizebetween robin and crowbetween robin and crow

    Measurements
    • Both Sexes
      • Length: 11.8-13.0 in (30-33 cm)
      • Weight: 13.6-17.6 oz (385-500 g)
      • Wingspan: 20.9-22.1 in (53-56 cm)

    Shape of the Gray Partridge© John Hanna / Macaulay Library
  • Gray above with a tan to orange face and rusty stripes on the sides. Gray below with a rusty tail and a brown horseshoe-shaped patch on the breast, larger on males.

    Color pattern of the Gray Partridge
    © Lauri Taylor / Macaulay Library
  • Forages on the ground in small groups made up of adults and their offspring. Pushes its head forward and flicks its tail while walking and often runs in a crouched position. When disturbed bursts into the air, flying low over the ground with rapid wingbeats.

  • In North America found primarily in cultivated fields and grasslands with hedgerows.

    © Bob Bidney / Macaulay Library