Philby's partridge (''Alectoris philbyi'') or Philby's rock partridge, is a relative of the chukar,

red-legged partridge The red-legged partridge (''Alectoris rufa'') is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is sometimes known as French partridge, to distinguish it from the English or grey partridge. The ...

and

barbary partridge The Barbary partridge (''Alectoris barbara'') is a gamebird in the pheasant family (Phasianidae) of the order Galliformes. It is native to North Africa. Distribution The Barbary partridge has its main native range in North Africa, and is also na ...

s and is native to southwestern

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...

and northern

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast an ...

. Although similar in appearance to other ''Alectoris'' species, Philby's partridge can be distinguished by its black cheeks and throat. Although not currently listed as an endangered species, the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in Tunisia in response to corruption and econom ...

and destruction of its fragile habitat in the tribal areas of Northern Yemen had led to concerns about the survival of this species. The name commemorates the British explorer

St John Philby Harry St John Bridger Philby, CIE (3 April 1885 – 30 September 1960), also known as Jack Philby or Sheikh Abdullah ( ar, الشيخ عبدالله), was a British Arabist, adviser, explorer, writer, and Colonial Office intelligence officer ...

Description

Philby's partridge is similar in appearance to the chukar partridge and has greyish-brown plumage with the flanks boldly banded in black and pale buff. It differs from that species in having black cheeks and throat, and a thin white line separates this from the greyish-blue head and nape. The beak and legs are pink.

Distribution and habitat

Philby's partridge is found in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. It lives on rocky slopes and scantily vegetated land, usually at altitudes between .

Behaviour

Philby's partridge is a ground-dwelling bird. It feeds on seeds, other plant material and small invertebrates. The breeding season lasts from April to June and a clutch of five to eight eggs is laid in a nest on the ground. The eggs are pale buff flecked with pink and are incubated for around 25 days.

Relationship with humans

Kosher bird expert Chaim Loike is investigating whether this species is kosher. However, it is relatively uncommon and is never likely to be a main dietary item.Save a Rare Kosher Bird
Torah Musings It was brought to the United States in the 1980s and is fairly common in

aviculture Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds, especially of wild birds in captivity. Types There are various reasons that people get involved in aviculture. Some people breed birds to preserve a species. Some people breed parrots ...

. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natur ...

has listed this species as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. Th ...

" on the basis that it has a wide range and is likely to have a large total population.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q371205 Philby's partridge Birds of the Middle East Philby's partridge Philby's partridge Birds of the Arabian Peninsula