The Partridge and Wood Pigeon

Name: Alectoris rufa Red-Legged Partridge Fam. Phasianidae Wingspan: 45-50 cm Weight: 400-480 g Length: 32-34 cm.

The partridge is par excellence the best known and best valued game species. It is a gallinaceous one of about 34 cm characterized by the red color of the beak and legs. A white eyebrow stands out above the eye, the same color as the neck. The back is brown, the ventral part is bluish gray with the lower part of the tail and the cloaca orange.

On the sides it has characteristic stripes of three colors; chestnut, black and white, which are longitudinal and very evident.

It is a sedentary species that grows on the ground and usually has a single laying of 10 to 12 eggs, which incubates for 23 to 25 days. Circumstantially they can make replacement clutches, or two clutches simultaneously, one of which can be incubated by the male. The eggs usually hatch in May and June. It is characterized by being endowed with a powerful, directional and noisy beaten flight.

It was introduced in the Balearic Islands in the 13th century, and it is hunted with a shotgun and dog, the bad way and with a claim.

If you are interested in hunting partridge with a pointer, ask us for information and our Mallorca Hunting team will be at your disposal for whatever you need.

Called Columba palumbus / Common wood pigeon / Fam. Columbidae has a wingspan of 75 – 80 cm, an approximate weight of 450 – 550 g and a length of 40 – 42 cm.

It is the largest pigeon, unmistakable for its bluish-gray color with two very white spots located one on each side of the neck. The beak has a striking coloration, half yellow, half red.

The eyes are yellow too. In flight there are white spots located one on each wing. This characteristic makes it possible to quickly identify them, ruling out confusion with other species.

We will find the torcaz in forest areas, especially pine forests and, often, also in cultivation areas in search of food (grain, seeds and invertebrates). It is a species that is expanding.

They carry out two or three broods per year by both sexes. The sedentary population of the Balearic Islands is reinforced by the migratory specimens that arrive during October and November. Its noisy flight is characteristic and another of its most interesting characteristics is its curious song.