Chukar
Chukar
Alectoris chukar
At a Glance
Native to the Middle East and southern Asia, the Chukar was brought as a game bird to North America, where it has thrived in some arid regions of the west. From late summer to early spring, these birds travel in coveys, but they may be hard to see as they range through the brush of steep desert canyons. They become more conspicuous in spring, when the harsh cackling chuk chuk chukar of the territorial males echoes from the rocky cliffs.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Pheasants and Grouse, Upland Ground Birds
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Desert and Arid Habitats, Fields, Meadows, and Grasslands, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets
Region
California, Northwest, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, Western Canada
Behavior
Flushes, Rapid Wingbeats, Running, Soaring
Population
7.800.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
Apparently, the Chukar is a permanent resident throughout its North American range. On its native range in Eurasia, it may move downslope in some mountainous areas or invade some deserts in winter.
Description
Sexes similar — Length: 13.4–15 in (34–38 cm); wingspan: 20.1 in (51 cm); weight: 1 lb 3 oz–1 lb 11 oz (538–765 g). The Chukar is a rotund, ground-dwelling game bird with sandy-brown upperparts, a gray breast, and a warm buff belly. Its most distinctive feature is a bold black band that runs across the forehead, through the eyes, and down the neck to form a "necklace" enclosing a white or creamy-tan throat and cheeks. The flanks are strikingly marked with vertical bars of black, white, and chestnut. The bill, legs, and eye-rings are a bright coral-red, and the tail is short and square-tipped with chestnut outer feathers. Males may be a little higher in weight. Juvenile birds are much duller and mottled with brown and gray, lacking the sharp head and flank patterns.
Size
About the size of a Crow, About the size of a Robin
Color
Black, Brown, Gray, Red, Tan, White
Wing Shape
Fingered, Rounded, Short
Tail Shape
Rounded, Short, Square-tipped
Songs and Calls
A loud fast chuck-chuck-chuck; various cackling calls.
Habitat
Rocky, grassy, or brushy slopes; arid mountains, canyons. The Chukar has been successfully introduced mainly around rocky cliffs, steep canyon slopes where winter snow will melt quickly, grassland mixed with sagebrush or saltbush. It needs cover of grass, brush; introduced cheatgrass is a key element. Often found in very dry country, but may require access to water unless it can eat plenty of green leaves.
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Behavior
Eggs
8-14, sometimes 6-20 or even more. Pale yellow to buff, spotted with reddish-brown. Incubation typically by female only, 22-24 days. Perhaps sometimes female may lay two separate clutches of eggs, and male may incubate one while female incubates the other.
Young
Leave the nest shortly after hatching, the Chukar is tended by one parent (usually female) or by both; the role of the male in raising young is still not well understood. Young mostly find their own food and are able to fly at 7-10 days, reaching full size in about 2 months.
Feeding Behavior
Feeds mostly on ground, but the Chukar will climb into shrubs and trees for berries. Forages in flocks in winter.
Diet
Seeds, leaves, berries, insects. The Chukar's diet varies with the season. Many of its major food plants are also introduced from Eurasia. Grasses provide much of its food supply, including seeds and leaves. In winter, it may feed mostly on seeds, such as cheatgrass and Russian thistle. The Chukar also eats berries of Russian olive and other plants. In the spring and summer, its diet includes many green leaves and insects.
Nesting
In courtship, the Chukar male displays by tilting his head and circling the female. Both members of the pair go through mock feeding movements, and the male may even feed the female. The nest site is on the ground, usually hidden under a shrub or overhanging rock. The nest is a depression with a substantial lining of grass, twigs, and feathers.
Conservation
Conservation Status
The Chukar is firmly established in some regions of western North America.
Climate Threats Facing the Chukar
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.
