Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 13.4–15 in
34–38 cm - Weight
- 19.4–23.8 oz
550–675 g
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.
Habitat
Mountains
Rocky hillsides, mountain slopes with grassy vegetation, open and flat desert with sparse grasses and barren plateaus.
Food
Seeds
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 10–21 eggs
- Condition at Hatching
- Open-eyed and covered in down, able to leave the nest and feed itself.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Ground Forager
Conservation
Least Concern
Continues to be introduced in some areas.
Credits
- 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.