Philby’s Partridge Alectoris philbyi is a scarce resident
of the south-west highlands. The best sites for locating the species are the
terrace fields near Tanoumah, the dry scrub covered hillsides on Jebal Souda
plateau and the area around Al Baha. They prefer juniper dominated habitats
where rocky knolls & clearings occur and ocurs from 1500 – 3000 metre
elevations. Numbers have declined significantly in the Jebal Soudah area,
probably due to increased human activity in the area. The area of Tanoumah
seems to be the best place in the Kingdom for seeing the species but birds are
very flighty and will not allow close approach. The Philby’s Partridge is
related to the Chukar & Red-legged Partridge and is native to south-western
Saudi Arabia and Yemen. It can be easily identified from other partridges by
the black cheeks and throat and a narrow white stripe from the bill to behind
the eye separating the black from the greyish-blue head. Both sexes look alike,
although males may be slightly larger in size and have a tarsal knob.
