Chukar

Overview

Chukar: Large, quail-like bird with orange-brown and slate-blue upperparts and breast, and black and rufous barred white flanks. White face has sharp black line extending to neck. Bill and legs are bright pink-red. Escapes danger by running. Direct flight with rapid deep wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Chukar: Introduced from Eurasia; now occurs from British Columbia and Alberta south to California and Colorado. Preferred habitats include arid rocky hillsides and canyons.

INTERESTING FACTS
v Since they live in arid regions, Chukar must take advantage of all water sources. They have been observed seeking water as deep as 10 feet below ground in abandoned mine shafts.
They are hardy birds and can easily outrun a hunter.
They prefer hillsides of 20 to 30 degrees of slope to flat ground.

The Chukar has a large range of up to 10 million square kilometers and a population of around 150,000 individual birds. This bird is native to numerous countries throughout the world, primarily the Middle East. It is believed to be extinct in Kuwait, but even so is rated as Least Concern due to its population and range and is not thought to be in danger in other areas of its native range. This bird has also been introduced to several countries in Europe as well as the United States.