Partridge, common name applied to birds of about 14 genera of the pheasant family. Although a diverse group, its members share plump bodies, short tails, and short beaks adapted for picking up seeds. They have rounded wings and robust breast muscles that power their explosive takeoffs to escape predators. They prefer to run, and fly only short distances. Their habitats vary from rocky mountain slopes to forest floors; a few perch in trees. They are native to Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East, but several species have been introduced elsewhere as game birds.

The gray partridge of Europe is one of the two species successfully introduced into North America. Known to hunters as the Hungarian partridge, it thrives especially in the grainfields of the prairies. The other species is the chukar, native to southern Eurasia, and now common on rocky or grassy mountain slopes and semidesert areas of western North America and in some of the Hawaiian Islands. It is pale brownish gray, with bold black and white stripes on the flanks, a white throat bordered in black, and bright red bill and feet.

The closely related red-legged partridge was introduced to England many years ago from southwestern Europe, and is probably the original “partridge in a pear tree” of the Christmas song. All of these birds are about 30 to 36 cm (about 12 to 14 in) long. The name partridge was used in the past for some species of quail and is now used in some parts of North America for the ruffed grouse (see Grouse).

Scientific classification: Partridges belong to the family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes. The gray partridge of Europe is classified as Perdix perdix, the chukar as Alectoris chukar, and the red-legged partridge as Alectoris rufa.