- Lifespan
- 5–7 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 29–31 cm, wingspan 45–52 cm; 330–450 g
- Habitat
- Open farmland, grassland, and cultivated fields with scattered scrub and hedgerows.
- UK Distribution
- Widespread resident across lowland Britain and Ireland, though populations have declined significantly since the 1990s. Found year-round but numbers boosted by released birds in autumn.
- Diet
- Omnivorous; chicks eat insects and invertebrates, whilst adults consume seeds, grain, leaves, and insects, with diet becoming increasingly herbivorous in winter.
- Predators
- Red fox, stoat, weasel, and birds of prey including Sparrowhawk and Kestrel; nest predation by corvids, rats, and hedgehogs.
- Mating Season
- March to June
- Breeding
- Single clutch of 9–16 eggs, incubation period 23–25 days. Chicks fledge at 14–16 days and become independent at 10–12 weeks.
- Behaviour
- Highly territorial and gregarious, forming coveys of 5–15 birds in autumn and winter. Predominantly ground-dwelling, relying on camouflage and running to escape danger rather than flying. Males perform a distinctive rasping call during breeding season.