partridge

noun pl. partridges or partridge

1. any of a number of medium-sized, short-tailed gallinaceous birds (family Phasianidae), esp., an Old World species (Perdix perdix) with an orange-brown head, a grayish neck, and a rust-colored tail, now established in N U.S.
2. any of various birds resembling the partridge, as the ruffed grouse