Philby's Partridge has a red bill and legs and black-and-white bars on its flanks.
Its chin and cheeks are black, the upperparts brownish grey, and the breast grey. The belly is russet, the flanks have black-and-white bars, and the bill and legs are red.
Philby’s Partridges often call at dawn, rapidly repeating short notes. They inhabit Arabian highlands and have a large black throat patch. The sympatric Arabian Partridge has a white throat, giving the two species different facial and throat patterns.
A 2010 study sampled blood from two Philby’s Partridges in the captive breeding programme at the National Wildlife Research Center in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Researchers read a short segment of a mitochondrial gene and recorded its sequence as a marker for identifying the species.
The two birds had identical sequences in this segment, while comparisons with records from two related species separated the three species. The focal birds had come from a local animal market, and their original collection localities were unknown. Recording the birds’ provenance alongside their sequences was therefore part of the scientific record.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The 2016 global assessment listed hunting and trapping as threats and recorded food and display uses. The 2010 study documented market-origin birds within a captive breeding programme. Conservation priorities include protecting wild habitat, understanding capture and trade, and documenting the provenance and genetic characteristics of captive birds.