Chukar, Chukker (Chuker, Chukor), Indian chukar, Keklik
The Chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is native to Asia and has been introduced into many other places and feral populations have established themselves in parts of North America and New Zealand.
The Chukar partridge has a light brown back, grey breast, and a buff belly. The shades vary across the various populations. The face is white with a black gorget. It has rufous-streaked flanks, red legs, and a coral-red bill. Sexes look similar but the female is slightly smaller in size and lacks the spur.
The native range of these birds in Asia includes Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, along the inner ranges of the western Himalayas to Nepal. They also barely range into Africa on the Sinai Peninsula. Chukars inhabit rocky open hillsides with grass or scattered scrub or cultivated areas.
Chukars are social birds; outside of the breeding season, they are usually found in small coveys of 10 or more (up to 50) individuals. During this time, the cocks are very pugnacious calling and fighting. During winter chukars descend into the valleys and feed in fields. They call frequently during the day and especially in the mornings and evenings. Their call is loud and includes loud repeated 'chuck' notes and sometimes duetting 'chuker' notes. When disturbed, these birds prefer to run rather than fly, but if necessary they fly a short distance often down a slope on rounded wings, calling immediately after alighting. At night chukars roost on rocky slopes, under shrubs, or in other protected areas or caves. A group may roost in a tight circle with their heads pointed outwards to conserve heat and keep a lookout for predators.
Chukars are mainly herbivores (granivores) eating a wide variety of seeds. They will also take leaves, buds, flowers, berries, and some insects.
Chukars are monogamous breeders and typically form pairs in summer. Males perform tidbitting displays, a form of courtship feeding where the male pecks at food, and a female may visit to peck in response. The males may chase females with their head lowered, wings lowered, and neck fluffed. The male may also perform a high-step stiff walk while making a special call. The nest is a scantily lined ground scrape, though occasionally a compact pad is created with a depression in the center. Generally, the nests are sheltered by ferns and small bushes, or placed in a dip or rocky hillside under an overhanging rock. The female lays about 7 to 14 eggs which hatch in about 23-25 days. The chicks are precocial (well-developed) and are able to leave the nest soon after hatching. They join their parents in foraging and later join the chicks of other members of the covey. Fledging usually occurs within 2 weeks after birth.
Chukars are not considered endangered at present; however, wild populations are vulnerable to harsh winters, pesticides, and hunting, and in some areas they suffer from habitat degradation.
According to IUCN, the total population size of the Chukar partridge is around 9,000,000-34,000,000 mature individuals. In Europe, the breeding population consists of 488,000-1,680,000 pairs, which equates to 975,000-3,370,000 mature individuals. The population in China has been estimated at around 10,000-100,000 breeding pairs. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
