Alectoris graeca -- (Meisner, 1804) ANIMALIA -- CHORDATA -- AVES -- GALLIFORMES -- PHASIANIDAE Common names: Rock Partridge; European Red List Assessment European Red List Status NT -- Near Threatened, (IUCN version 3.1) Assessment Information Year published: 2015 Date assessed: 2015-03-31 Assessor(s): BirdLife International Reviewer(s): Symes, A. Compiler(s): Ashpole, J., Burfield, I., Ieronymidou, C., Pople, R., Wheatley, H. & Wright, L. Assessment Rationale European regional assessment: Near Threatened (NT) EU27 regional assessment: Vulnerable (VU)

This European endemic partridge is undergoing moderately rapid population declines in Europe, where it is classified as Near Threatened. Within the EU27 the small population is declining more rapidly and it is therefore listed as Vulnerable. Occurrence Countries/Territories of Occurrence Introduced: Belgium; Spain Native: Albania; Austria; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; France; Germany; Greece; Italy; Liechtenstein; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Montenegro; Romania; Serbia; Slovenia; Switzerland Vagrant: Turkey Population The European population is estimated at 41,800-73,400 pairs, which equates to 83,500-147,000 mature individuals. The population in the EU27 is estimated at 21,300-39,300 pairs, which equates to 42,600-78,700 mature individuals. For details of national estimates, see Supplementary PDF. Trend The species is suspected to be declining moderately rapidly, particularly in the Balkans, based on a balanced assessment of the reported data and the available evidence (e.g. Griffin 2011, A. Bernard-Laurent in litt. 2012). The species is declining owing to habitat degradation caused by agricultural intensification and urbanization. It is also declining owing to over-hunting in some areas (del Hoyo et al. 1994). This is reflected in its classification as Threatened or Near Threatened in a number of recently published national Red Data Books (covering c. 70% of the species's global population) in which the species has been classified on the basis of population declines thought to approach or exceed 30% over 11.7 years (three generations). In the EU27 the population size is estimated to be decreasing by 30-49% in the same period. For details of national estimates, see Supplementary PDF. Habitats and Ecology This species utilises a variety of habitats and different altitudes, up to 3000 m in the Alps and almost down to sea level in Sicily and Greece. Generally they prefer open, mountain habitats with grassy patches, low scrub or scattered conifers (Griffin 2011). Winter flocks begin to break up from February and territories are established March to April with eggs laid from mid-May to June in the Alps and late-April to June in Greece. It is normally monogamous, forming long-term pair-bonds although some instances of successive bigamy and some exchange of partners have been reported. The nest site, believed to be chosen by the male, is a scrape excavated by the female. Clutches are normally eight to fourteen eggs. It is predominantly vegetarian, eating seeds, fruits and green material, but also some terrestrial invertebrates. Chicks, and females in spring, consume relatively high proportions of invertebrates, mainly adult and larval insects. Foraging continues day- round in winter, but is concentrated in the early morning and late afternoon in summer. This species is sedentary however, altitudinal movements are reported in mountain breeding areas, initially moving higher immediately post-breeding, then lower as winter advances. Birds may remain at breeding altitude of 1,900– 2,700 m in winter, if snowfall is not too heavy (McGowan and Kirwan 2014). Habitats & Altitude Habitat (level 1 - level 2) Importance Occurrence Forest - Temperate suitable resident Shrubland - Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation suitable resident Altitude max. 3000 m Occasional altitudinal limits Threats Studies in different parts of the species's range (summarised in Griffin 2011) indicate that it is affected by a wide variety of threats, including habitat loss and degradation (Bernard-Laurent and de Franceschi 1994), abandonment of traditional agro-pastoral activities (Budinski et al. 2010, Rippa et al. 2011), reduced connectivity between metapopulations (Cattadori et al. 2003), disturbance, poaching, unsustainable hunting, extreme climatic events (Bernard-Laurent and Leonard 2000), hybridisation with released captive-bred Chukar (Alectoris chukar) and Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa) (Barilani et al. 2007, Randi 2008), and the transfer of pathogens and parasites from these species (Manios et al. 2002, Rosà et al. 2011). Additional threats include the increase of tourism in mountain areas, predominantly in the French and Austrian Alps (A. Bernard-Laurent in litt. 2012). Threats & Impacts Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses Agriculture & Agro-industry Timing Scope Severity Impact aquaculture farming Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Slow, Significant Medium Impact Declines Stresses Ecosystem conversion; Ecosystem degradation Biological resource Hunting & trapping Timing Scope Severity Impact use terrestrial animals Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Slow, Significant Medium Impact (intentional use - Declines species is the target) Stresses Species mortality Climate change & Habitat shifting & Timing Scope Severity Impact severe weather alteration Future Unknown Unknown Unknown Stresses Ecosystem conversion Climate change & Storms & flooding Timing Scope Severity Impact severe weather Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Low Impact Declines Stresses Reduced reproductive success Invasive and other Chukar (Alectoris Timing Scope Severity Impact problematic chukar) Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown species, genes & diseases Stresses Hybridisation Invasive and other Red-legged Timing Scope Severity Impact problematic Partridge (Alectoris Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown species, genes & rufa) diseases Stresses Hybridisation Residential & Tourism & Timing Scope Severity Impact commercial recreation areas Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Low Impact development Declines Stresses Species disturbance Conservation Conservation Actions Underway EU Birds Directive Annex I and II. The species is classified as Threatened or Near Threatened in Red Data Books in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy and Switzerland.

Conservation Actions Proposed Conduct surveys to determine population size and trends across the species's range. Improve knowledge on the effects of hunting on the species. Implement measures to reduce abandonment of traditional agro-pastoral activities. Safeguard the species's habitat. Improve legislation and enforcement to reduce unsustainable hunting and poaching. Investigate hybridisation with captive-bred A. chukar and A. rufa and pathogen and parasite transfer from these species. Bibliography Barilani, M., Bernard-Laurent, A., Mucci, N., Tabarroni, C., Kark, S., Garrido, J.A.P., Randi, E. 2007. Hybridisation with introduced chukars (Alectoris chukar) threatens the gene pool integrity of native Rock (A. graeca) and Red-legged (A. rufa) Partridge populations. Biological Conservation 137(1): 57-69. Bernard-Laurent A. and Leonard Y. 2000. Vulnerability of an alpine population of rock partridge (Alectoris graeca saxatilis) to climatic events: evaluation with deterministic and stochastic models. Game and Wildlife Science 17(2): 63-79. Bernard-Laurent, A. and de Franceschi, P.F. 1994. Status, trends, and limiting factors of Rock Partridge ( Alectoris graeca saxatilis) populations. Game and Wildlife 11: 267-307. Budinski, I., Culina, A., Mikuliñ, K. and Jurinoviñ, L. 2010. Bird species that have significantly changed breeding range on Croatian coastal area: comparison of 30 years old data and recent knowledge. Bird Census News 23: 49-58. Cattadori, I.M., Ranci-Ortigosa, G., Gatto, M. and Hudson, P.J. 2003. Is the rock partridge Alectoris graeca saxatilis threatened in the Dolomitic Alps? Animal Conservation 6: 71-81. Griffin, C. 2011. Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca population assessment. Methodology for Bird Species Recovery Planning in the European Union. Final Report to the European Commission. FACE and BirdLife International for the European Commission, Cambridge, UK. Manios, N., Papazahariadou, M., Frydas, S., Papageorgiou, N., Tsachalidis, E. and Gergopoulou, J. 2002. Tetrathyridium as a mortality factor of rock partridge (Alectoris graeca graeca) in Central Greece. European Journal of Wildlife Research 48: 378-382. McGowan, P.J.K. and Kirwan, G.M. 2014. Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. and de Juana, E. (eds.) 2014. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/53379 on 19 January 2015). Randi, E. 2008. Detecting hybridization between wild species and their domesticated relatives. Molecular Ecology 17: 285-293. Rippa, D., Maselli, V., Soppelsa, O. and Fulgione, D. 2011. The impact of agro‐pastoral abandonment on the Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca in the Apennines. Ibis 153(4): 721-734. Rosà, R., Bolzoni, L., Rosso, F., Pugliese, A., Hudson P.J. and Rizzoli, A. 2011. Effect of Ascaridia compar infection on rock partridge population dynamics: empirical and theoretical investigations. Oikos 120(10): 1557–1567. Map (see overleaf)