Birds of Shakespeare: The partridge

Folger Shakespeare Library: I want to draw attention to the grey partridge, a threatened bird, for Earth Month. The partridge is surrounded by predators and has been the focus of conservation efforts for centuries. Policies to protect the grey partridge stretch back to 1536 when Henry VIII forbade killing partridges, pheasants, and herons to ensure populations could support falconry. The partridge was a popular target when flying a goshawk.1