Chukar

Chukar, adult male; Kern Co., CA; September

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A native of southern Eurasia, the Chukar was introduced into the United States from Pakistan to be a game bird. It lives in arid, rocky terrain across the western United States and southern Canada.

Description

Small chicken-like bird. Short neck and tail. Grayish brown back and chest. Buffy belly. Bold black and chestnut barring on flanks. Black line through eye, down neck and onto chest. Throat white. Bill and legs red. Short, rounded wings.

• Size: 34-38 cm (13-15 in)
• Weight: 550-675 g (19.42-23.83 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike, male slightly larger.

Sound

Call a series of "chuks."

Conservation Status

Continues to be introduced in some areas.

Other Names

Perdrix choukar (French)
Perdriz chukar (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The Chukar varies slightly in color across its native range in Eurasia. In more humid areas they are darker and more tinged with olive-brown on the upperparts and are more warmly colored on the underparts, whereas birds in more arid areas tend to be grayer and paler, less brown on the upperparts and paler on the underparts.

• The Chukar takes advantage of all water sources, from rivers and creeks, to springs and nearly stagnant seeps that hardly moisten the ground. They have been found getting water in mine shafts over 3 m (10 feet) below ground level, and sometimes they have been observed well back in mine tunnels where only faint light revealed the water.

Sources used to construct this page:

Christensen, G.C. 1996. Chukar (Alectoris chukar). In The Birds of North America, No. 258 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists_ Union, Washington, D.C.