EN
This paper analyses the abundance of breeding pairs and the location of nesting sites of partridges as related to vegetation structure in the nest surroundings in two areas with very different partridge densities and arable landscape patterns (Central Germany and Eastern Poland). Study objective was to identify underlying causes of the more than 100 fold difference in population density of this species in these two areas of Central Europe. Our results suggests that the very limited availability of appropriate nesting habitats with an open canopy structure and low leaf area index is one of the key factors being responsible for the very low recent population density, and the past rapid decline, of partridge in the modern agricultural landscape of western Central Europe.