
. Humidity -- While the English birds thrive under conditions 
often humid and foggy, their Spanish counterparts do well where the 
humidity is relatively low. Dew, however, is substantial in Spain as 
in many dry climates. 
Effect _on the species -- Except when the chicks are quite 
small, moderate rains do not seem to bother the redlegs. Heavy down- 
pours may somewhat reduce the ability of the adults to fly for a 
short period thereafter but seldom are the source of serious losses. 
Wet climates, with their attendant thick vegetation, are shunned by 
the birds. 
Snow -- Unlike the chukars, the red-legged partridges will 
not endure long periods when the ground is covered by snow. Less of 
a digger and scratcher, they prefer to move to lower elevations or out 
into the plains, where, in Spain, the snow seldom exceeds 6 inches or 
lasts for over a week or 10 days at a time. In fact Spanish birds 
are most abundant where there is little snow throughout most of the 
winter. In other areas the wind or the sun on southern exposures 
usually provide areas of bare ground for feeding. . 
Temperature tolerances 
Throughout the range of the red-legged partridges, temperatures 
seldom go either very low or very high. The species normally is not 
subjected to as much subzero weather as are many of the chukars or to 
as much heat as is another relative, the Barbary partridge of North 
Africa. Redlegs in England and in east-central France have been known . 
to survive at temperatures a few degrees below zero F. and Spanish 
birds have withstood a maximum of 112°. | 
Normal range -- The Spanish red-legged partridges thrive in 
areas where the average temperature in January varies between 36° and 
45°F.; for July where it is 67° to 82°. Colder and warmer periods are 
not infrequent and apparently cause little discomfort to the birds so 
long as food and water are available. 
Average maximums and minimums -- A more informative picture 
is presented by the average maximum and minimum temperatures which, as 
in most warm, dry regions, are widely spaced, Table 3 gives some 
interesting comparisons. - 
20 
