A few days ago, the second phase of spring monitoring, through the playback technique, of the potential breeding pairs of Italian partridge (Perdix perdix italica) at Mezzano also closed.

In fact, between March and April, the operators involved in the monitoring traveled by car 184 transepts within the Valle del Mezzano, thus covering the entire surface of the study area.

At the call of the male, recorded on special devices and emitted from pre-established stations along the transepts in the direction of the 4 cardinal points, the operators recorded any responses of single males only heard, single males heard and seen, males paired with a female and indeterminate individuals seen.

To date, the preliminary results are quite encouraging: in March 66 hearing males, 27 hearing and seeing males, 74 couples and 9 indeterminate individuals were recorded, while in April 59 hearing males were recorded, 17 hearing and seeing males, 100 couples and 6 indeterminate individuals.

In this first year of reintroductions, the balance that we can make is in line with expectations: it is still a species that for sixty years has only known life in captivity, unaccustomed to rusticity and therefore more vulnerable.