How to Identify aChukar
Alectoris chukar · 12.6–14.2 in (32–36 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Sandy-gray body with a creamy face and throat ringed by a black necklace, boldly barred black-and-chestnut flanks, and a red bill and legs. Sexes look alike.
Female
Identical to the male but slightly smaller.
Male photo: Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia, CC BY 4.0
Field marks
- Black necklace encircling a pale throat
- Bright red bill and legs
- Bold black-and-rufous bars down the flanks
- Runs uphill rather than flying when flushed
Similar species
What it sounds like
A loud, rapid, repeated "chuk-chuk-chuk-chukar" that gives the bird its name.
Behaviour that gives it away
Escapes danger by running uphill, and typically flushes only when a pursuer gets above it.
Habitat & range
Steep arid rocky slopes, canyons and sagebrush of the interior West.
When you'll see it
Present all year in western North America.
What it eats
Seeds, grasses and leaves, especially cheatgrass.
Did you know?
Native to Eurasia, it was introduced for hunting and thrives on the steep cheatgrass slopes that other gamebirds avoid.
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