The chukar (Alectoris chukar) is a medium-sized partridge, with a total length that ranges from about 13 and 1/3 inches to nearly 15 inches, and a total weight of 19.5 ounces to almost 24 ounces.  Females are slightly smaller than males, and typically weigh less.  Adult males can often be identified in the hand by a button spur or "bump" on the back of the legs, which females don't develop.  Otherwise, the sexes are alike.  Generally, chukar are grayish brown to olive above, with buff underparts.  Those that live in damper climates will tend to appear more vibrant in color, while those that live in more arid climates, as is the case with most chukar in the United States, will tend to be duller in color.  There is a very distinct black line through the forehead, eyes, and down the neck, forming a gorget between the white throat and gray upper breast.  The prominent black and chestnut barring on the flanks and tail feathers are very distinctive, but the things that really stand out on these birds are their red bill and legs.

The chukar is an introduced game bird species that is native to Asia, the Middle East, and portions of southern Europe.  Their first known introduction to the United States occurred in 1893 when five pairs were shipped from Pakistan to Illinois.  The bulk of the chukar planting activity in this country occured from about 1931 to about 1970, during which time approximately 795,000 were released in 41 states.  During that same time period, about 10,600 chukar were released in 6 Canadian provinces.

Over the course of time, it has been discovered that the preferred habitats of these birds are largely found in the Great Basin physiographic region of the western United States and north through eastern Oregon, western Idaho, and eastern Washington, where steep, rocky, mountainous terrain contains a mixture of brush, grasses, and forbs.  They are also found in mountainous areas of the High Desert regions of California, with populations exploding to record numbers in recent years, largely as a result of wet but mild winter and spring weather conditions during the past three seasons.

Habitat and Utilization

Topography plays a great role in separating quality chukar habitat from the ho-hum.  They prefer steep, rocky terrain, which they utilize to their advantage as a means of protection from predation.  In their preferred habitat, they can evade predators and typically outdistance them by running up a steep slope.  If they are already at the top of a steep slope, they can quite easily evade predators by simply flying down and around it to escape.  In their native habitat, they can be found from sea level to 16,000 feet.  Although they sometimes stray into pinyon / juniper country, chukar prefer brushy, desert scrub type habitat over forested habitat, as the former provides less obstacles to flight than the latter, as well as more low scrub as cover that they can dart in and out of in fleeing predators.

Hydration Requirements

Chukar are commonly and correctly associated primarily with arid environments, but it is speculated that surface water does play a key role in their ability to survive.  Unlike native quails, the chukar's level of dependence upon surface water is not particularly well understood by biologists.  What is known is that they aren't terribly selective with respect to where they will drink.  They may drink from a hollow in a rock or a stagnant puddle in the opening of a mine shaft.  I've actually seen them doing the latter. They'll also use stock tanks and "guzzlers" which are a kind of cistern set out in wild areas to provide water for wildlife.  Most commonly, they'll utilize springs, seeps, and streams that are found in their habitats, many of which are intermittent and dry up in the summer.  During particularly hot and dry periods, chukar will visit water sources on a daily basis, according to studies conducted on these birds in Nevada, during which time coveys of chukar were found to use water daily when temperatures exceeded 100 degrees F.

Botanical Requirements

Chukar utilize plants for cover, nesting, and food.  Throughout the year, plant matter makes up the bulk of the chukar's diet.  In the summer, however, the young of the year will eat insects as their primary food source.

These birds have a definite preference for a grass and forb understory with some desert shrubs (Artemisia, Atriplex, Ephedra, and Sarcobatus) for cover.  As noted previously, areas with sacttered trees -primarily pinyon and juniper- may also be utilized, but when this occurs, you are most likely to observe chukar on the fringe of the pinyon-juniper belt and less likely to observe them deep within pinyon-juniper habitat.

Assorted grasses (Agropyron, Bromus, Oryzopsis, Sitanion, and Stipa) make up the bulk of this bird's diet.  They prefer grass shoots and leaves when they are available.  When they can't find green grass, which is most of the time in their preferred habitats, they resort to eating grass seeds.  They will utilize cultivated grains such as barley and wheat when such material is available, but since the bulk of these birds live in arid environments where agriculture isn't commonplace, their use of cultivated grains is minimal. 

Breeding and Nesting

These are monogamous birds, with pair bonding typically starting by the middle of March over most of their range in the United States.  Mates are selected using several specific calls, which are used by both sexes.  The male will display his machismo with his head down, neck extended, and one wing extended until the tip touches the ground -a behavior that appears to hold a lot of sex appeal to the female chukar.

When pairs are established, the covey begins to disperse as each pair searches for appropriate nesting territory.  The boundaries of these nesting territories do not appear to be very well defined, but whatever they are, they tend to be vigorously defended, especially near the actual nest site.  The nest site will be located under a desert shrub and tucked against some rocks, with the nest itself being a shallow depression similar to a dusting bowl, which is lined with dry grass and feathers.

After hatching, the broods are cared for by one or both parents.  Young chukar are precocious and leave the nest within hours of hatching.  Successful recruitment seems to be predicated largely on the ability of the parents to find nesting sites with good populations of insects for the developing chicks to feed upon.

As other broods hatch, parents may combine broods to form large coveys of fifty or more individuals.  This provides the chicks with increased supervision as adults appear to share responsibilities when these coveys are formed.  Also, at heavily used water sources, young chukar often become mixed with other broods.

In helicopter surveys conducted in Nevada, 85% of the surveyed birds during the summer brooding period were found within a quarter of a mile of water.  Their need for close proximity to water doesn't appear as great at other times of the year, when they may be found up to a mile or more away from a source of surface water.

Likewise, up until the chicks are about 3 weeks old, chukar may utilize flatter areas than they will at other times of the year.  Prior to about three weeks of age, the brood isn't capable of coordinated flight, and during this time, intutition suggests that a habitat which has the cover, insect forage base, and water that young birds need, without the challenges of having to traverse steep, rocky terrain in their flightless condition, might be important to their survival.

Seasonal Movement

In the fall, winter, and spring, wet weather can cause "green-up" of the grasses that chukar rely upon for food.  During this time, they get most of their hydration needs met through eating lush, green grass shoots.  Because of this, they can range farther away from surface water sources than they can during the summer months.  In fact, during "green-up," the amount of moisture they can obtain from their forage is sometimes sufficient to allow them to wander across several miles of habitat.  This is when biologists believe that these birds do the bulk of their "pioneering" and when and how they are able to disperse into new areas.

As winter sets in, accumulating snow in some areas will force the birds to move to lower altitude, grouping and collecting at lower elevations below the snow line.  In some areas, they may spend most of the winter at lower elevations on south-facing slopes, where the snow generally melts the fastest and thus allows the birds quicker access to forage.

Regardless of the season, they still have the same need for both rock and brush cover.  In the winter, rocks and brush help these birds cope with winter storms and predation.

Success in hunting chukar doesn't have to be predicated soley on happenstance and chance.  They aren't little Albert Einsteins with feathers.  They simply respond instinctively to their environment in a manner that some humans find impressive.  Spending a little time scouting in the off-season, in the few weeks prior to opening day, can reap huge dividends and stack the odds of doing well in your favor. So can paying attention to where the birds are during the season, and putting some thought into why you find them where you do.  Areas may change, but the things these birds find attractive really don't change all that much from one area to the next.  No matter where you find them, they normally aren't found anyplace where they don't have some very compelling reason to be.  Ultimately, understanding why chukar do what they do when they do it is something that cannot be fully understood by reading alone.  The best way to fully understand this magnificent bird is to spend as much time as you can among them, observing them in their wild environment.