Red-legged Partridge

SCI Name:  Alectoris rufa
Protonym:  Tetrao rufus Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.160
Taxonomy:  Galliformes / Phasianidae / Alectoris
Taxonomy Code:  relpar1
Type Locality:  Southern Europe, restricted type locaUty, northern Italy, fide Hartert.
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Near Threatened

DEFINITIONS

ALECTORIS
(Phasianidae; Ϯ Barbary Partridge A. barbara) Gr. αλεκτορις alektoris, αλεκτοριδος alektoridos  hen, chicken  < αλεκτωρ alektōr, αλεκτορος alektoros  cockerel; "1. Perdix petrosa.  ...  1. Klipphuhn.  Alectoris *).  (Perdix petrosa).  E[ntwickelung]. Wie gewöhnlich.   Ch[arakter]. Feldhühner mit . . .federigem Schwanz, deren Männchen während der Begattungszeit kleine Höcker an den Tarsen bekommen.   L[ebensart]. Es lebt auf den steinigen Gebirgen des südlichen Europa's, und gleicht in seiner Lebensart sehr dem Steinhuhn.   ...  *) Aλεκτορις, Huhn.  ...  Vierte Ordnung. Gallinaceae.  ...  151. Alectoris (P. petrosa)." (Kaup 1829); "Alectoris Kaup, Skizz. Entw.-Gesch. Eur. Thierw., 1829, p. 180, 193. Type, by monotypy, Perdix petrosa auct. not of Gmelin = Perdix barbara Bonnaterre." (Peters 1934, II, p. 62).
Var. Alectornis.     
Synon. Caccabis, Chacura, Chauvireria, Erythropus, Lambrechtia, Palaeocryptonyx, Pliogallus, Plioperdix, Proalector, Pyctes, Rufipes.

rufa
L. rufus  red, ruddy. In ornithology rufus, rufa and rufum cover a wide spectrum of colours from yellow, orange and brown to crimson, scarlet and purple.
● "91. TETRAO.  ...  rufus.  8. T. rostro pedibusque sanguineis, gula alba cincta fascia nigra albo-punctata.  Tetrao rectricibus cinereis: superiore medietate hinc inde rufis. Fn. svec. 171.  Perdix rufa s. major. Gesn. av. 682. Aldr. orn. l. 13. c. 18. Jonst. av. 68. t. 27. Will. orn. 118. t. 29. Raj. av. 57. Alb. av. I. p. 29. t. 29.  Habitat in Europa australiori.” (Linnaeus 1758) (Alectoris).
● ex “Anhinga roux” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (Anhinga).
● ex “Ferrugineous Duck” of Pennant 1776 (?syn. Aythya nyroca).
● ex “Pie rousse de la Chine” of Sonnerat 1782 (syn. Dendrocitta vagabunda).
● ex “Aigrette rousse de la Louisiane” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 902 (syn. Egretta rufescens).
● ex “Hirondelle à ventre roux de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 724, fig. 1, and “Rufous-bellied Swallow” of Latham 1783 (syn. Hirundo erythrogaster).
● ex “Alouette noire de la Encenada” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 738, fig. 2, and “Alouette noire à dos fauve” of de Buffon 1770-1785 (Lessonia).
● ex “Lanius madagascariensis rufus” of Brisson 1760 (Schetba).
● ex “Fauvette rousse” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 581, fig. 1 (?syn. Sylvia communis).
● ex “Kleinste Grasmücke” of Frisch 1733, “Curruca rufa” of Brisson 1760, “Fauvette rousse” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 581, fig. 1, and de Buffon 1770-1786, and “Rufous Warbler” of Latham 1783 (?syn. Sylvia communis).
● ex “Schet Roux” of Levaillant 1805, pl. 147 (syn. Terpsiphone mutata).

SUBSPECIES

Red-legged Partridge (rufa)
SCI Name: Alectoris rufa rufa
rufa
L. rufus  red, ruddy. In ornithology rufus, rufa and rufum cover a wide spectrum of colours from yellow, orange and brown to crimson, scarlet and purple.
● "91. TETRAO.  ...  rufus.  8. T. rostro pedibusque sanguineis, gula alba cincta fascia nigra albo-punctata.  Tetrao rectricibus cinereis: superiore medietate hinc inde rufis. Fn. svec. 171.  Perdix rufa s. major. Gesn. av. 682. Aldr. orn. l. 13. c. 18. Jonst. av. 68. t. 27. Will. orn. 118. t. 29. Raj. av. 57. Alb. av. I. p. 29. t. 29.  Habitat in Europa australiori.” (Linnaeus 1758) (Alectoris).
● ex “Anhinga roux” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (Anhinga).
● ex “Ferrugineous Duck” of Pennant 1776 (?syn. Aythya nyroca).
● ex “Pie rousse de la Chine” of Sonnerat 1782 (syn. Dendrocitta vagabunda).
● ex “Aigrette rousse de la Louisiane” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 902 (syn. Egretta rufescens).
● ex “Hirondelle à ventre roux de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 724, fig. 1, and “Rufous-bellied Swallow” of Latham 1783 (syn. Hirundo erythrogaster).
● ex “Alouette noire de la Encenada” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 738, fig. 2, and “Alouette noire à dos fauve” of de Buffon 1770-1785 (Lessonia).
● ex “Lanius madagascariensis rufus” of Brisson 1760 (Schetba).
● ex “Fauvette rousse” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 581, fig. 1 (?syn. Sylvia communis).
● ex “Kleinste Grasmücke” of Frisch 1733, “Curruca rufa” of Brisson 1760, “Fauvette rousse” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 581, fig. 1, and de Buffon 1770-1786, and “Rufous Warbler” of Latham 1783 (?syn. Sylvia communis).
● ex “Schet Roux” of Levaillant 1805, pl. 147 (syn. Terpsiphone mutata).

Red-legged Partridge (hispanica)
SCI Name: Alectoris rufa hispanica
hispanica / hispanicus
L. Hispanicus Spanish < Hispania Iberia, Spain.
● Spain (= Gibraltar); ex “Oenanthe fulva” of Edwards 1743-1751 (Oenanthe).

Red-legged Partridge (intercedens)
SCI Name: Alectoris rufa intercedens
intercedens
L. intercedens, intercedentis  interposed, coming between  < intercedere  to come between.
● Not only does the Growling Riflebird occupy eastern New Guinea, between the ranges of the two subspp. of the Magnificent Riflebird L. magnifica, but the female resembles the female of the nominate subsp. and the male resembles the male of the other (Lophorina).