Barbary partridge

Scientific name: Alectoris barbara

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Small, stocky partridge with grey-brown plumage, distinctive red face mask, and russet underparts. Males show a bold black-and-white striped pattern on the neck; females are duller overall.

Size and weight

Males 25–27 cm, females 23–25 cm; weight 200–300 g (males typically heavier).

Habitat

Rocky, scrub-covered mountainous terrain with sparse vegetation, cedar and oak forests, and dry hillsides. Typically found between 600–2,400 m altitude in North African highlands.

Distribution

Endemic to North Africa, found in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia; prefers high-altitude rocky scrubland and cedar forests.

Diet

Omnivorous, feeding on seeds, leaves, berries, and insects; diet shifts toward green vegetation in spring and insects during breeding season.

Behaviour

Primarily terrestrial and crepuscular, most active at dawn and dusk. Highly social, moving in small coveys across steep slopes; runs rather than flies when disturbed.

Hunting tips

Look for droppings and scratched leaf litter on slopes; birds flush from bare ground and rocky outcrops. Approach into the wind along ridge-lines and draws where coveys congregate. Move slowly over broken terrain, pausing to glass ahead; expect sudden flight from close range when birds are flushed from dense cover.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 4 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.