The sand partridge (Ammoperdix heyi) is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds.

It is closely related and similar to its counterpart in southeast Turkey and east to Pakistan, the see-see partridge, Ammoperdix griseogularis.

The sand partridge is a rotund bird, mainly sandy-brown with wavy white and brown flank stripes.

They are sandier and greyer than males with fewer markings and have pinkish bars instead of white spots on the side of the neck.

The sand partridge is one of 185 species in the ground-living family Phasianidae, the most-species rich clade in the Galliformes order.

[4] The Phasianidae family has a subfamily Phasianinae, which was considered monophyletic up until the 1990s until molecular phylogenies showed that its placement is indeed paraphyletic.

[2] The Ammoperdix heyi intermedius is distributed from Western Saudi Arabia to Yemen east into Oman and to the Musandam Peninsula in the UAE.

[2] Sand partridges are rarely found in large stretches of dry, flat, or open desert as they require a water source for drinking.

[2] In Arabia specifically, sand partridges eat leaves and buds of desert thorn (Lycium shawii), Rhazya stricta and Sideroxylon mascatense.

[2] Habitats with woody vegetation height of 2–3 m between rocks are ideal foraging grounds for the sand partridge, as it provides food and also sufficient shelter from predator attacks.

[2] Within the Arabian Peninsula, eggs are laid mainly in March and April, but have been seen in Oman and Yemen as late as between August and November.

[2][9] Sand partridges are probably monogamous birds, but nests have been seen merely 30–70 m apart in Israel, indicating one male mating with multiple females (see polygyny).

One way is the sand partridge will sparsely line the nest with grass, feathers, bits of wood, or pebbles.

[2] Throughout Arabia, stock grazing, urbanization, drought, and climate change in general, all affect sand partridges but are not true threats.