Daurian partridge

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Daurian partridge
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Galliformes
Family:	Phasianidae
Genus:	Perdix
Species:	P. dauurica
Binomial name
Perdix dauurica (Pallas, 1811)

The Daurian partridge (Perdix dauurica), also known as steppe partridge, Asian grey partridge or bearded partridge,

It is a rotund bird measuring roughly 28–30 cm (11–12 in) long. In the fall, males weigh about 200–340 grams (7.1–12.0 oz) and 290–330 grams (10–12 oz) for females.[3] Both sexes have a sandy-orange face and long feathers under the beak, forming a 'beard'. The rest of the head and underparts are pale slate-grey with a buff line on the chest and black belly patch. The female has a smaller belly patch and is slightly duller than the male. Their song sounds like a higher-pitched, sped-up version of the grey partridge's; a shrill, grating kieerr-ik!^[4]

There are multiple subspecies, differing mainly in the plumage becoming darker and more rufous further east.^{[citation needed]}

Distribution and habitat

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Behaviour

Daurian partridges forage and move most actively during morning/evening hours and rest at mid-day, depending on weather.

Females usually lay around the second to third week of May. The nest is lined with grasses and twigs on the ground under a bush or in tall grass, and the typical clutch size is somewhere around 13–20 olive-brown eggs.^[5] Chicks are a pale yellow-brown dappled with shades of dark brown and rufous.^[6]

This is a seed-eating species, but the chicks in particular consume insects as an essential protein supply. They are capable of flying short distances around 2 weeks of age. When disturbed, it springs upward with whirring wings in a rapid, explosive manner, then it flies off to nearby cover, all while sounding off an alarmed staccato hek-hek-hek!^[7]

Subspecies

The daurian partridge has two recognized subspecies:^[8]

• P. d. dauurica (Pallas, 1811)
• P. d. suschkini (Poliakov, 1915)

Status

The Daurian partridge is not globally threatened, but may be over-hunted in parts of its range.^{[citation needed]}

References