Everything about The Chukar totally explained
The
Chukar,
Alectoris chukar is a
Eurasian upland
gamebird in the
pheasant family
Phasianidae of the order
Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. Other common names of this bird include 'Chukker' (sometimes misspelled as 'Chuker'), 'Chukar Partridge', 'Red-legged Partridge', 'Rock Partridge', 'Indian Hill Partridge', 'Chukka', 'Chukkar', 'Chukor', 'Chukore', 'Chikone', 'Kabk', 'Kau-Kau', and 'Keklik'.
Distribution
This
partridge has its native range in
Asia from
Pakistan,
India and
Afghanistan in the
east to southeastern
Europe in the
west, and is closely related and similar to its western equivalent, the
Red-legged Partridge,
Alectoris rufa. It has been
introduced widely, and became established in the
United States,
Canada,
New Zealand and
Hawaii. In Great Britain, hybrids between this species and the also introduced
Red-legged Partridge are common.
Biology and behavior
The Chukar is a resident breeder in dry, open, and often hilly country. It nests in a scantily lined ground scrape laying 8 to 20
eggs. Chukars will take a wide variety of seeds and some
insects as food; however,
Drooping Brome (Cheatgrass) is this species' strong food preference. When in captivity, that'll lay 1 egg per day throughout the breeding season if the eggs are collected daily.
Appearance
The Chukar is a rotund 32-35 cm long bird, with a light brown back, grey breast, and buff belly. The face is white with a black gorget. It has rufous-streaked flanks and red legs. When disturbed, it prefers to run rather than fly, but if necessary it flies a short distance on rounded wings.
It is very similar to
Rock Partridge,
Alectoris graeca, but is browner on the back and has a yellowish tinge to the foreneck. The sharply defined gorget distinguishes this species from Red-legged Partridge. The song is a noisy
chuck-chuck-chukar-chukar.
In culture
The Chukar is the
National bird of
Pakistan and the name is derived from
Chakhoor in
Urdu. In Indian mythology, the bird is said to be in love with the moon and to look at it constantly. In the
United States, the
Idaho Falls Chukars are a minor league
baseball team in the
Pioneer League.
Population and conservation status
This species is relatively unaffected by hunting or loss of habitat due to its remote and physically demanding terrain preferences. Its numbers from year to year are most largely affected by weather patterns during the breeding season.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Chukar'.
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