Afghanistan (B) (NB), Armenia (B), Azerbaijan (B) (NB), Bulgaria (B) (NB), China (mainland) (B), Cyprus (B) (NB), Egypt, Georgia (B), Greece (B) (NB), India (B), Iran [Islamic Republic of] (B), Iraq (B) (NB), Israel (B), Jordan (B) (NB), Kazakhstan (B), Kyrgyzstan (B), Lebanon (B), Mongolia (B), Nepal (B), Oman (B), Pakistan (B), Russia (European) (B), Saudi Arabia (B), Syria (B), Tajikistan (B), Turkey (B) (NB), Turkmenistan (B), Ukraine (B), United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan (B).
Vagrant to Russia (Asian), Russia (Central Asian).
Introduced to Canada, France (B), Germany (B), Italy (B), Kuwait (E), Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of (B) (NB), New Zealand (B), Norway (B), Portugal (B), South Africa (B), Spain (B), St Helena (to UK), USA (B).
Nest
A shallow scrape, with some lining, sheltered by rock.
Eggs (Guide)
8 - 15; glossy, cream or buff with red-brown spots. Incubation: 24 - 25 days; usually by female.
Young
Precocial, nidifugous.
Subspecies
Previously placed in superspecies with Philby's Partridge (Alectoris philbyi), Barbary Partridge (Alectoris barbara) and Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa), but now proposed to form superspecies with Przevalski's Partridge (Alectoris magna), Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca) and Philby's Partridge (Alectoris philbyi). Has been included within Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca). Alectoris kakelik is a synonym. Populations of Bulgaria and Crete have been separated in subspecies kleini and scotti respectively, but usually included in cypriotes.
Other proposed subspecies are: caucasica, included in kurdestanica; shestoperovi, laptevi and dementievi, included in koroviakovi; and obscurata, included in dzungarica.
Subspecies, nominate chukar and koroviakovi where both introduced into New Zealand.
The following 15 subspecies are recognised:
cypriotes Hartert, 1917 - South-eastern Bulgaria east through Asia Minor to southern Syria; southern Aegean Is, Crete, Rhodes and Cyprus.
sinaica (Bonaparte, 1858) - Northern Syrian Desert south to Sinai Peninsula.
kurdestanica Meinertzhagen, R, 1923 - Caucasus south to Iran.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9