Nature » Fauna

Rock Partridge

Alectoris graeca

Size: length 35 cm, wingspan 55 cm.

Habitat: stony ground and dry, steep, and sunny prairies with dwarf shrubs and graminaceous plants, above all between 1,000 and 2,000 meters.

What it eats: berries, graminaceous plants and insects in summer; grains, seeds, and stems in winter.

Reproduction: each pair occupies a territory in spring, where the female lays 8-14 eggs on the ground at mid-May. Hatching lasts about 25 days.

Chicks: they are born in June and can follow the mother from their very first day of life; they develop completely in three months.

Curiosities: while brooding the female is very sensitive, and, if disturbed, may abandon the nest.

Remarks: the number of rock partridges has decreased because of several factors, among which the abandonment of mowing activities in high-mountain meadows.

In the Park: in the whole Park, wherever there is an ideal habitat. Especially Mt. Serva, Mt. Talvena, Cimonega group, Busa delle Vette, Mt. Brendol.