A Partridge in a Pair Tree Trivia Quiz

Answer: Red-legged partridge

The red-legged partridge is native to France, Spain, Portugal and northern Italy. Although capable of flight, it spends most of its time on the ground hunting for its preferred diets of seeds and small insects (young birds in particular tend to be fed on the latter). The red-legged partridge's binomial name provides a clue to its appearance as "rufa" relates to the Latin term for red, a colour which appears not just on the bird's legs but also on its beak and around its eyes. Apart from these flashes of bright red, it has generally grey and pale-brown plumage, although it could also be described as a bit pinkish.

Overall, there are at least 45 recognised species of partridge - none of which are renowned for perching in pear trees. However, the red-legged partridge is probably the species most associated with the song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'. It is often referred to as the French partridge and it has been suggested that the line "in a pear tree" derives from a corruption of a French version of the song that mentioned "une perdrix" (a partridge in French).

Answer: Ferruginous partridge

The word 'ferruginous' can be defined as something that is rusty or something that is rust-coloured. The ferruginous partridge is the latter of these options - its breast feathers are a distinctive red colour that is reminiscent of rusty iron, but the bird itself is not made of the heavy metal. It is found in parts of the Indochinese Peninsula as well as Indonesia and Malaysia, but is rarely seen as its tropical and sub-tropical forest habitat is pretty inaccessible to humans. As a result exact estimates of the size of its population are unavailable, but it is believed to be under threat due to the increasing loss of its preferred habitat.

The ferruginous partridge is the only member of the genus Caloperdix, so it is not that closely related to any of the other birds also known as partridges.

Answer: Mountain bamboo partridge

Bamboo is a staple food for a number of east Asian animals and birds, but is probably most famously associated with the diet of China's giant pandas. However, it also forms a key part of the diet of the mountain bamboo partridge, along with seeds, fruit and small insects. The birds are native to a wide area that includes Tibet, India, Bangladesh and the countries of the Indochinese Peninsula and are found in bamboo forests as well as grassland areas with plentiful shrubs (for cover) and bamboo (for food).

Like most other partridges, mountain bamboo partridges are very attached to life on the ground and don't tend to do a lot of flying. They even nest on the ground, simply lining a dip or hollow with grass. They can be identified by the distinctive black stripe running from each eye to the back of the head.

Answer: Black wood-partridge

A male black wood-partridge (or just simply black partridge) has predominantly black plumage and a black beak, compared to the female's chestnut colouring with white patches. The binomial name of the black wood-partridge is a bit of a clue to the colour of the male bird. 'Nigra' is latin for 'black' and melanin is a dark pigment responsible for skin, eye and hair colouring in both people and animals - a lack of melanin and other pigments is associated with albinism, while a high level of melanin tends to result in black hair (or fur). Species where the male and female have vastly different appearances are described as sexually dimorphic.

Although Black Partridge was a well-known 19th century Native American chieftain, the black wood-partridge is found across Malaysia and Indonesia.

Answer: Snow partridge

The snow partridge probably derives its name from the weather conditions it is likely to experience living high up in the Himalayas, rather than the colouring of its plumage. While many other animals with "snow" in their name have beautiful snowy white plumage or fur, the snow partridge is predominantly grey and brown (although some of the feathers on its abdomen are white).

Snow partridges tend to live in small flocks of six to eight birds and avoid bare rocky slopes in favour of the grassy pastures where their main food sources of moss and plant shoots can be found. It tends to live above the tree line at elevations of around 3,000 to 5,000 metres (10,000 to 16,500 feet) above sea level. However, their aptitude for living at great height does not translate into an aptitude for flight as they are a mainly ground-dwelling species, although they are more than capable of flapping away at speed if they think they are being hunted (by either predators or humans).

Answer: Crested partridge

The crested partridge takes its name from the crest of red feathers that adorns the head of the male bird. However, it is also known by many other names, including green wood partridge (because of the colour of its plumage), red-crowned wood partridge (that crest again) and roul-roul (from its binomial name).

While the male crested partridge has dark glossy green plumage with the red crest and a red patch around its eye, the female is a paler green colour and crestless, but with the same red eye-patch. They can be found in the rainforests of parts of Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Malaysia and Indonesia.

Answer: White-necklaced partridge

The white-necklaced partridge hasn't had any jewels (or gold rings) bestowed on it by a generous lover, but instead has a distinctive curved white marking in the plumage attached to its chest. The name collared partridge is also derived from the same feature. To see one in its native habitat, you would need to travel to south-east China, specifically the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi or Zhejiang.

The genus Arborophila is also known as the hill partridges and contains over 20 different species - the most of any of the partridge genera. They are mostly small with bright markings and found in southern and eastern Asia, so the white-necklaced partridge is a pretty typical example.

Answer: Sichuan partridge

The Sichuan partridge is endemic to south-west China, specifically to Sichuan province and some parts of neighbouring Yunnan province. It is a relatively rare bird that can be identified from other members of the Arborophila genus by the patterned plumage on its head and reddish-orange patches around its ears. Its rarity and declining population led to it first being included on the IUCN 'Red List of Threatened Species' in 1988 and it spent several years listed as "critically endangered". Its status was upgraded to "endangered" in 2000 following the implementation of a protection programme for its preferred forest habitat.

Sichuan cuisine is noted for its spiciness, mainly because of the liberal use of Sichuan peppers in the various dishes.

Answer: Sand partridge

The sand partridge has a distinctly sandy appearance (the females and young birds are particularly pale in colour) and therefore blends in well against a sandy backdrop. However, the bird also has distinctive dark brown and white wavy stripes on the lower parts of its sides.

Sand partridges are often found in hot, desert conditions, particularly rocky hillsides with occasional bits of vegetation or around dry river beds. The birds are native to the Middle East and are found over a wide area, including the Arabian Peninsula, Israel, Jordan, Egypt and northern Sudan.

Answer: Grey partridge

The grey partridge takes its name from the grey feathers of its upper chest and sides. It has also has brown wing feathers and a large white patch on its belly and lower parts, as well as the orange markings on its face.

Also known as the English partridge, Hungarian partridge or hun, the grey partridge is native to most of Europe and western Asia and is an introduced species in the US, Canada and Australia amongst other places. The reason for its widespread introduction outside of its native range is the fact that it is a popular game bird and has been intensively raised in some areas for the purpose of hunting and shooting.

The grey partridge's binomial name is a tautonym - the Latin Perdix perdix would translate into English as Partridge partridge.