Partridge

There are two species of partridge to be seen hopping and dashing full-tilt across the stubble, and they are the ‘introduced’ French or red-leg and the ‘native’ English or grey partridge. Because of the criminal and savage mauling of our hedgerows, we have seen a sad and dramatic demise of the English partridge, and the welcome refusal of many guns to shoot them in areas where their population has collapsed.

The two varieties have different habits. The English partridges, grey with a buff orange bib, stick together in diligent little groups called coveys, often seen sitting in a circle with unwinking sentries facing all directions on fox and hawk duty. The Frenchies, typically well dressed in scarlet trousers and stripy jackets, move in smaller groups of rarely more than five, and in flight they shift a little faster. Reared for shooting and less dependent on the hedgerow, they are abundant and are notably brighter than the pheasant.