Wildlifeof Nepal
Chukar
Pheasants, Partridges & Quails
Photo: (c) SIA, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Alectoris chukar
Basic stats
Habitat
Dry, rocky upland; mainly 2,000–4,000m in the eastern part of its range
Range
Asia, including the inner ranges of the western Himalayas to Nepal; introduced elsewhere
Size
32–35cm
The chukar is a rotund partridge 32 to 35cm long, with a light brown back, grey breast and buff belly. It has well-marked black and white bars on the flanks and a black band running from the forehead through the eye and down to form a necklace that encloses a white throat. The legs are red and the bill coral red (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is a Palearctic upland gamebird whose native range runs from the Middle East through Iran and Afghanistan to the inner ranges of the western Himalayas to Nepal. In the more eastern areas it is mainly found at 2,000 to 4,000m. Its song is a noisy 'chuck-chuck-chukar-chukar', from which the name is derived.
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Chukar live in?
- Dry, rocky upland; mainly 2,000–4,000m in the eastern part of its range
- Where is the Chukar found?
- Asia, including the inner ranges of the western Himalayas to Nepal; introduced elsewhere
- How big is the Chukar?
- 32–35cm