Red Legs

Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)

For the past few days, a couple of Red-legged Partridges (Alectoris rufa) have been venturing into the garden. They're sticking primarily to the bare earth of the driveway, picking grit (and presumably seeds) from the ground as they go. This handsome species was introduced to East Anglia from the continent back in the late 1700s, mainly to provide a target for the hunting set. Over the ensuing centuries, they have expanded across much of lowland Britain, with the RSPB estimating that there are now some 82,000 breeding territories across the island. They remain particularly common in the east, and we see and hear them regularly in the countryside around our home. Despite the fact that it's an introduced species, the UK population has become quite important in conservation terms, because the bird is declining in its native range (France, Spain and Portugal).

Red-legs have the unusual ability to raise two simultaneous broods a year. The female lays two clutches, and she incubates one clutch while her mate incubates the other. The young are precocial, able to run about and feed themselves shortly after hatching. The pair then reunites, raising their now sizable family together. They eat primarily seeds, but also leaves and small invertebrates. If they escape the hunters' guns, they can live up to 5 years. Hopefully, we'll be seeing more of them — maybe even (if we're lucky) with some chicks in tow.