A partridge is the most common game bird in the Holy Land. It looks like a chicken but has a slimmer body and a longer tail.
Two kinds of partridge live in the Holy Land:
Sand partridge (Ammoperdix heyi) — Found near the Dead Sea, in the Jordan River valley, and in the Sinai Desert. It is medium-sized with yellow feet. The male has sandy-buff feathers with brown bars on the upper tail and a chestnut and white underside. The female is grayish buff.
Chukar partridge (Alectoris graeca) — Similar to the French partridge of Europe. It is about 40.6 centimeters (16 inches) long and has bright, colorful feathers.
Patridges in the Bible
The partridge was hunted for food. People caught it by chasing until it was too tired to run (1 Samuel 26:20). It could also be caught with snares (Psalm 91:3) or by hunters hiding in a shelter. Although it can run quickly and jump up steep cliffs, it is still easy to catch when tired. Its brownish-green feathers help it hide among bushes.
The bird lays many eggs, which keeps it from becoming extinct despite heavy hunting. Sometimes the female lays two groups of eggs: one for herself and one for the male to keep warm. This may explain the saying in Jeremiah 17:11 about a bird gathering eggs it did not hatch. This was used as a picture of someone taking credit for work they did not do.