The Red-legged Partridge
partridges paintings
Partridges and Thistles
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
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THE ORIGIN OF A SPECIES
LThe partridge has been portrayed in paintings for centuries and even painted since primitive times. The partridge paintings in this article have been painted by Manuel Sosa. HSome millions of years ago, in the midst of the Tertiary era, rustic partridges, with unequivocal characteristics of belonging to the order Galliformes, must have roamed the meadows and forests of Europe. The rigors of increasingly colder and longer winters were already beginning to weigh on them, which, year after year, pushed them towards more southern latitudes. This progressive cooling was the beginning of a long period of ice and snow that would eventually devastate much of northern and central Europe. These were the glaciations which, in the last 600,000 years, subjected our lands to a series of ecological changes so profound that they were the origin of an enormous variation in the distribution and abundance of many animals and plants.
During the long glacial epoch –each glaciation lasted hundreds of thousands of years– the sparse meadows of Artemis and Dryas offered their food amidst exceptionally harsh conditions. Few animals adapted to this invasion of cold and snow and, therefore, the vast majority of species disappeared or were forced to retreat south, where, after crossing a fringe of conifers similar to the current taiga, groves of oaks and beeches appeared, similar to those found today in Central Europe. It was in these Mediterranean oases where, fleeing the cold, our primeval partridges took refuge.
Partridge in breeding season
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
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LThe Iberian and Italian peninsulas, the Balkans, Anatolia, as well as Barbary, must have become settlement centers for different populations of these Tertiary partridges. In these areas, isolated from each other, the aforementioned populations evolved along particular paths that gave rise to the species of red-legged partridges that we now include within the genus Alectoris.
This genus comprises a series of partridges, fundamentally circum-Mediterranean, which are characterized by their reddish legs and beaks, the throat bordered with striking dark feathers, striped flanks, and reduced spurs on their legs. Of the seven species of red-legged partridges, four are found in Europe.
The Barbary Partridge (Alectoris barbara), characterized by its wide brown collar speckled with white and by its bluish-grey cheeks, throat, and chest, lives in Barbary, up to Cyrenaica, as well as in Gibraltar, Sardinia, Tenerife, Gomera, and Lanzarote.
The Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar), with an entirely black collar, ocher throat, and flanks with few but very marked stripes, is distributed from the Balkans and Asia Minor to Mongolia and Manchuria, reaching as far south as northern India. The Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca), with a white throat and a black collar, also unbroken, presents grayish-brown dorsal parts and is found throughout the Alps, Italy, Sicily, and Balkan countries.
Finally, the Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa), with a white throat, a black collar that breaks into small spots outwards, and a long white superciliary stripe, occupies the Iberian Peninsula, France –south of the Loire–, part of Switzerland, and northern Italy, in addition to Corsica. It was introduced to the Balearic Islands, Madeira, the Azores, Gran Canaria, and England. The partridge paintings depicted here correspond to the Red-legged Partridge, so common in Spain.
These four species divided the favorable terrain among themselves, so that there is no overlap in their distribution areas. This fact, studied by Watson, seems to indicate a geographical displacement that avoids competition among the different partridge species.
The red-legged partridge
The common partridge o red-legged partridge has undergone a series of regional morphological variations or alterations which has led to the appearance of subspecies. This is a common phenomenon in all animal species which, through the interplay of genetic mutations and selection, permanently adapt to the peculiarities of their environment.
But despite the slight racial variations, based primarily on the different intensities and distribution of their plumage coloration, all red-legged partridges share the common characteristic of being plump birds with a wingspan of just over half a meter. Sexual dimorphism, so pronounced in other phasianids, is barely noticeable, except that the female is slightly smaller than the male.
The morphology of their body, the arrangement of their legs, and their way of walking indicate that they are ground-dwelling birds. In small groups, they diligently traverse the terrain, searching for seeds, fruits, or shoots which, along with a wide range of insects and their larvae, worms, and mollusks, constitute their food.
Partridges are certainly one of my favorite birds to portray, whether they are Red-legged, Snow, or Grey Partridges, and almost always as an excuse to delight myself by painting their surrounding environment." Here, three Red-legged Partridges beneath a broom shrub in a parched field. This painting is an oil painting on panel
Red-legged Partridges in Broom Shrub
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
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Love and War
Cereal plains with shrubs and groves, vineyards, steppes, rocky and difficult terrains, scrublands, and mountains where they breed without difficulty above 2,000 meters are suitable for the adaptable partridge. In all these biotopes, the spring song of the males resonates, as early as February, in the fields with thunderous sounds reminiscent of an old steam locomotive. These vocalizations proclaim the possession of a territory and the need for a female with whom to pair.
The English ornithologist D. Goodwin dedicated himself, in the 1950s, to a meticulous study of the behavior of the Common Partridge. He managed to describe the complex behavior that males develop when, despite the intimidation posed by the owner's song, some foreign individual dares to penetrate their territory. In these cases, both males approach, keeping their heads high, slightly tilted to one side, and somewhat stretched backward. They raise the feathers bordering the white of the face and throat, laterally displaying this striking wattle. The striped feathers of the flank closest to the adversary stretch, rising over the wing to form a clearly visible vertical plane.
Partridges with chicks
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
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The wing on the opposite side, extended downwards, can reach the ground in moments of maximum excitement. The curious display of the flank and the retention of the wing in a folded position is explained by the fact that the flank markings are the main feature that must be exhibited at all costs. With this picturesque appearance, they circle each other until they enter an active phase of fighting, which only occurs when one of the two contenders feels intimidated by the action of their adversary. They then jump on each other, attempting to injure with their spurs while delivering strong pecks. But the fight rarely goes beyond a simple scuffle, as soon as one of the individuals feels they are getting the worst of the skirmish, they abandon the battlefield.
Sentry Partridge
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
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Partridges in September
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
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In this way, the territories of the excited males while, with their singing, they bid to attract the..female companion. When she finally appears, both the male and the female will develop a courtship that, paradoxicallyIt is similar in its pattern to that of male-male fighting. At In this case, the process culminates in engagement rather than aggression.
Partridges and Stubble
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
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This similarity between the two behaviours seems to be due to..to the fact that, both in territorial struggle and in the paraIn one case it is a nuptial relationship, an impulse of aggression predominates. ..inhibited by fear and in the other by sexual attraction. The male of Red-legged Partridge ..courts his mate by crossing her path or circling around her. On other occasions, particularly If she appears after a short absence, the male presents..a great excitement and emits a noisy kwerrooh! or a ¡000h! ¡000h! ..rushing towards her with fluffed plumage and erect nape feathers.
Solitary Partridges
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
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According to Goodwin's observations, corroborated by other authors, the male is responsible for building the nest. This is usually hidden under the branches of a bush or in the grass and is nothing more than a hollow scraped in the earth, sparsely lined with some dry leaves or grasses. In it, the female will lay 10 to 16 eggs, sometimes reaching 20; in captivity, individuals have been known to lay over 110 eggs annually. These are yellowish-white or pinkish, spotted with brown and grey. They measure 29.5 to 35.5 mm in width by 39 to 43 mm in length. Their weight is 20 to 22 g. In some cases, it has been observed that the male builds a new nest to which the female will go to lay another clutch as soon as she finishes with the first. In this way, there are two nests to be divided between both parents. In these cases, the male, like the female, will be responsible for incubating and raising one of the broods. Goodwin considers that this behavior normally occurs in the wild and that male and female do not differ in their care of the chicks, but on the other hand, this contradicts proven cases of polygamy. In any case, this is a relatively obscure point in the life of the partridge, since, although it is a popular and very common bird, it has been the subject of very few scientific studies. After 23 or 24 days of incubation, partridge chicks hatch, weighing about 14 g. Being precocial, they promptly leave the nest within 24 hours to scurry through the field in search of insects, which they feed on in those first days. They then present pink down on their heads, with brown speckled with black on their backs and wings, and three parallel yellow stripes. The yellowish underside stands out little from the white throat. Behind the eye, there is a small brown line. At 60 days, they weigh about 200 g, and at 90 days, they have reached adult size. Young birds have dull-toned beaks and legs and lack the black collar and white eyebrow and throat.
Three Red-legged Partridges
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
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The code of vocal communication among partridges has also been studied by Goodwin and reveals the existence of a wide variety of sounds that serve to maintain cohesion and promote group protection.
These family groups will more or less stick together. until the reproductive instinct develops among its individuals. As sedentary birds, their range of action remains confined to an area they do not abandon and where they endure the harshness of winter, the attack of predators, and the terrible pressure from humans and their hunting devices. Only those partridges that live in high mountains may be forcedto make small altitudinal displacements to escape the winter snow.
Gallinaceous birds have exerted a great attraction on humans. The Red-legged Partridge could not be less in this regard, as its appreciable size, the delicacy of its meat, its sedentary nature, and its fondness for human crops were more than sufficient reasons to make it a coveted game bird.
Partridges preening
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
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Rustic methods, some of which are still used illicitly, must have been employed to capture it in past eras. It could be hunted alive by running, pursuing it on foot or horseback until it was exhausted after the third or fourth flight. Snares, crossbows, or ingenious traps constructed with stone blocks unstably supported by a framework of branches could also have been used. Eggs and chicks must also have paid their tribute of death to the predatory activities of ancient Iberian peasants. With the advent of firearms, new hunting techniques emerged.
Partridge in August
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
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Soon, attention focused on our Red-legged Partridge which, with its noisy take-offs and dazzling flight, became one of the key game birds in small game hunting. Modalities such as driven hunts, walked-up shooting, or treacherous decoy hunting have been and are widely accepted by enthusiasts of hunting pursuits. But in recent times, parallel to the dizzying increase in the number of hunters, a whole process of hunting organization has emerged with fundamentally economic aims for itself.
Red-legged Partridge
(oil study)
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
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This is clear in the case of the partridge, which comes to cost between 4 and 6 euros in many of these hunting estates, not counting the registration fees for the partridge hunt, which never fall below several thousand euros. With such favorable valuations, it is not uncommon for many animal species, considered works of art, to have been protected and in many cases saved from clear extinction. The Red-legged Partridge has been one of these animals graced with a favoritism sometimes so excessive that it has undoubtedly harmed the species' survival capacity. In many hunting estates, all possible predators of such a valuable specimen have been eliminated by gunshots, traps, or poison. With this, it has been achieved that the ancient lands where a partridge, hardened by the natural dangers of life, was raised, have been converted into aseptic and peaceful breeding grounds. Furthermore, since the performance of the hunting estates depends on the number of game birds shot per season, a series of farms have simultaneously emerged where enough partridges are bred to carry out a series of releases prior to the large hunts.
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The authors
Article from the Iberian fauna encyclopedia by Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente, illustrated with the painter's partridge paintings Manuel Sosa.
You are invited to enjoy his complete body of work on his gallery's website https://manuelsosa.com/
