The distribution of the grey partridge Perdix perdix in Schleswig-Holstein 2021–2024

Abstract

The Grey Partridge Perdix perdix prefers traditional farmed landscape as its habitat. It breads on open fields, meadows, fallow land and wildflower stripes. The vegetation has to be low enough for the Grey Partridge to recognize predators and take flight. It avoids high structures like forests because trees can serve as perches for birds of prey. Hedges on the edges of fields are good hiding
places. All in all, Grey Partridges need small-structured landscapes with open fields (Gottschalk & Beeke 2021). Due to the intensification of the agriculture in recent decades, the agricultural landscape is no longer able to meet its demand (Glutz von Blotzheim & Bauer 1994). The population in Europe is decreasing since 1980 by 94 % (EBCC 2023) and in Germany by 85 % (DDA 2023). In the Red List of Schleswig-Holstein, the Grey Partridge is listet in category 2 ‘highly endangered’ (LLUR 2021). New agrienvironmental schemes and the project ‘Rebhuhn retten – Vielfalt fördern’ are created in Germany to recreate habitats for endangered species like the Grey Partridge. First the current population must be recordet to verify the success of these implemented measures in the following years. Therefore there will be this overview about the Grey Partridge population in Schleswig-Holstein. Data from ornitho (2021–2023, the DDA Grey-Partridge Monitoring (2022–2023) and the project ‘Rebhuhn retten – Vielfalt fördern’ 2024 were used.
The accumulation of the Grey Partridges in Schleswig-Holstein are in the North of Nordfriesland, near Aukrug/Neumünster, in the south on the Büchener Sander and in the east of the Oldenburger Graben and Heiligenhafen. In the rest of Schleswig-Holstein the population is disjointed and decreasing.