 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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1.4 (0.307 - 2.42)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Gray Partridge were detected from the Boreal Transition southward, in 567 squares. Observations were concentrated in the Mixed and Moist-Mixed Grassland and southern Aspen Parkland ecoregions. Gray Partridge were found in a variety of habitats, including agricultural fields, farmyards and towns, and occasionally in native grassland.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
A favourite of every farm family, a covey of Gray Partridge attracts the attention of the most casual observer. On the Canadian prairies it has always been known as the Hungarian Partridge or "Hun.? Huns are gregarious, sticking together as family groups or coveys most of the year. When flushed, the entire covey will burst into the air at once with a chorus of loud cheeps, startling and confusing most predators and humans. Breeds and winters across southern Canada and northern US but more common across the prairies.
Nesting habitat includes even intensively cultivated land, provided there is woody cover or hedgerows for shelter (Smith 1996). Agricultural crops interspersed with grass and shrubby draws, coulees, and hedgerows are characteristic of the better habitat (Melinchuk 1981). Although many grasshoppers are taken by the chicks in the first 10 weeks, the diet is predominantly grains and weed seeds. Grit, often obtained on gravel roadsides, is considered essential to their diet.
Gray Partridge are common permanent residents throughout the agricultural portion of the province (Smith 1996) north to Meadow Lake, Big River, Paddockwood, Torch River, and Armit. Winter and presumably wintering densities are the highest in the mixed prairie zone and decline in the zones to south and north.
Original text by Wayne Pepper. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Gray Partridge in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Gray Partridge in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=GRAP&lang=en [14 Nov 2025]
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