Rock Partridge Call MP3s
Hear the Rock Partridge's calling pattern in a clean, downloadable track — useful for locating birds in the field or simply learning to tell this species apart from its close relatives.
Also known as
Recordings (5)
About this species
A ground-dwelling gamebird measuring roughly 34 cm, the Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca) is unmistakable — a mountain partridge with a white throat ringed by a neat black gorget. It lives on high, rocky alpine slopes and screes above the tree line.
The male gives a loud, rhythmic 'chak-chak-chakera' from a rock or terrace. It feeds on seeds, leaves, shoots and insects scratched from dry ground. It keeps to coveys on high ground, descending to lower slopes in hard winters. It is a classic quarry of the autumn hunting season throughout Greece, the Mediterranean and beyond.
Legal use
Rock Partridge is confined to mountainous parts of southern and central Europe (the Alps, Apennines, Sicily, and the Balkans into Greece), and while it is listed as a huntable species under Annex II of the EU Birds Directive and remains legal quarry in parts of Italy and the Balkans, its population has declined significantly since the mid-20th century due to overhunting, poaching, habitat change, and hybridisation with released Chukar and Red-legged Partridges. The Sicilian subspecies (Alectoris graeca whitakeri) is separately listed on Annex I of the Birds Directive, giving it stricter protection, and some other regions have introduced local hunting suspensions or extra quotas in response to declines. Given this patchwork of national and regional rules, confirm the current legal status in your specific hunting area and see our full country-by-country disclaimer.