Re-establishing Partridges

Releasing a pair of partridges which were translocated in spring (© F Buner)
Releasing a pair of partridges which were translocated in spring (© F Buner)

Before partridges are released it is crucial to define the main aim of your project. There are three main reasons why partridges are released: 1) for shooting or falconry alone, 2) for conservation alone or 3) for both purposes together. In terms of achieving self-sustainable populations of partridges together with yielding maximum benefits for biodiversity in the project area, the least successful approach is the one that is solely based on a release and take strategy. On the other hand, highest successes can be achieved when the aim is to produce harvestable numbers of wild stock sustainably. Therefore, approaches that combine shooting or falconry together with conservation interests are the most recommended. Defining the main aim right from the start allows realistic project goals to be set and defines the release strategy that needs to be used.

When is releasing appropriate?

On the web

Click to see how to proceed

Click to see how to proceed