BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Red-legged Partridge

RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE Alectoris rufa

• Population
changes

• Productivity
trends

• Additional
information

Conservation listings

Europe: SPEC category 2 (declining)
UK: not listed (introduced)

Long-term trend

UK, England: shallow decline

UK population size

72,000–200,000 territories in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC/BBS trend: BiE04, APEP06)

Status summary

Since Red-legged Partridge is a non-native species released in the UK for the purpose of being shot by hunters, its population decrease over the recent 25-year period raises no conservation concern. Moreover, BBS data indicate that significant increase has occurred in the UK since 1994. Game-bag data show that the numbers released per unit area onto shooting estates, and the numbers shot, have both increased by a remarkable eightfold since 1980. Around 2 million birds were being released each year during the 1990s (Tapper 1999). The effects of large-scale releases of this species and Pheasant on native fauna have been little studied. It is now believed, however, that shooting operations based on large-scale releases of Red-legged Partridges can lead to local extinction of the native Grey Partridge (Watson et al. 2007).

Population changes

Table of population changes for Red-legged Partridge

Source	Period (yrs)	Years	Plots (n)	Change (%)	Lower limit	Upper limit
CBC/BBS UK	39	1967-2006	167	-16	-46	35
	25	1981-2006	243	-21	-45	7
	10	1996-2006	497	24	13	35
	5	2001-2006	549	18	10	25
CBC/BBS England	39	1967-2006	164	-19	-47	18
	25	1981-2006	238	-24	-44	-3
	10	1996-2006	487	20	10	31
	5	2001-2006	535	17	9	25
BBS UK	11	1995-2006	465	29	17	42
	10	1996-2006	481	24	14	36
	5	2001-2006	549	16	9	22
BBS England	11	1995-2006	456	24	13	36
	10	1996-2006	472	21	10	32
	5	2001-2006	535	14	8	20

Productivity trends

Productivity information is not currently available for this species

Additional information


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This report should be cited as: Baillie, S.R., Marchant, J.H., Leech, D.I., Joys, A.C., Noble, D.G., Barimore, C., Grantham, M.J., Risely, K. & Robinson, R.A. (2009). Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside: their conservation status 2008. BTO Research Report No. 516. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends) Pages maintained by Iain Downie, Mandy T Andrews and Laura Smith: Last updated 18.02.2009