Home Log Out
Birdpedia - Australia         | Home | Birds | Calendar | Reserves | Field Trips | Sightings | Reports | Contacts | [HBW - BirdLife (v3)] 29/03/2024 09:20:11 PM
Species Database
Find
Quick Links
News
 
Species Details [Taxonomy: HBW - BirdLife (v3)] Print... Email... 

 LC    Chukar Partridge Id (Atlas): 5000
    Alectoris chukar Introduced

Description (10)
Image of Chukar Partridge
 

Other Names (World)
Chukar, Chukar Partridge, Chukor, Chukor Partridge

Family
Phasianidae (Pheasants, Partridges, Turkeys, Grouse)

Size
30 - 35 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Gray, 1830)

Derivation
Alectoris - Gk, domestic fowl; chukar - Hindi name for this bird (onomatopoeic after its call)

Remarks
Feral. Released for sporting shooting near Gulong, NSW.

Abundance (Guide)
V

Feral vagrant.

Habitat
Dry, rocky slopes and stony plains.

Range (Guide)
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).

Image of Range of Chukar Partridge
Currently around Gulong, NSW. Released for sporting shooting.
 
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is 2,000,000 - 10,000,000 (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Seeds, mainly of grasses. some leaves and insects.

Voice
Drumming and wailing sounds. Short, 'chuck' sounds. Louder rhythmic call when flushed.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (91)...)

 
Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar) [XC412098]
     by Frank Lambert from Baga Bogt, Baruunbayan-Ulaan, \u00d6v\u00f6rkhangai, Mongolia (call)

 
Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar) [XC481533]
     by Regina Eidner from Sevrei, \u00d6mn\u00f6govi, Mongolia (call, song, song perched, then in flight)

Breeding Season (Guide)
October - January.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


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.
  • werae (Zarudny & Loudon, 1904)   -  Eastern Iraq and south-western Iran.
  • koroviakovi (Zarudny, 1914)   -  Eastern Iran east to Pakistan.
  • subpallida (Zarudny, 1914)   -  Tadjikistan.
  • falki Hartert, 1917   -  Kazakhstan south to north-central Afghanistan and east to north-western China (western Xinjiang).
  • dzungarica Sushkin, 1927   -  North-western Mongolia, Altai Mts and eastern Tibet.
  • pallescens (Hume, 1873)   -  North-eastern Afghanistan east through north-western India to western Tibet.
  • pallida (Hume, 1873)   -  North-western China (western & southern Xinjiang).
  • fallax Sushkin, 1927   -  North-western China, in Tien Shan Mts of north-western Xinjiang.
  • chukar (Gray, 1830)   -  Eastern Afghanistan east to Nepal.
  • pubescens (Swinhoe, 1871)   -  China, from western Qinghai and western Sichuan Neast through Inner Mongolia to Liaoning.
  • potanini Sushkin, 1927   -  Western Mongolia.
  • kleini Hartert, 1925   -  Northern Greece through Bulgaria and northern Turkey to the Caucasus.



References
See References.

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


Files:
JPG files for Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar) - 10 files


More Information

BirdLife International

For more information about the Chukar Partridge see... Show Articles BirdLife International Species Factsheet.


Articles about the Chukar Partridge

If you would like to read any articles about the Chukar Partridge... Show Articles Show Articles (0)


No Pictures of Chukar Partridge

If Birdpedia has no pictures of Chukar Partridge or you would like to see more, then try the following...

      Show External Images from BING From BING (10)


No Videos of Chukar Partridge

If Birdpedia has no videos of Chukar Partridge or you would like to see more, then try the following..

      Show External Videos From BING (0)


Where can I observe this species?
Select an area (or leave blank) to see locations where this species has been recorded.

Area
  All   

Optional: Complete the following if you wish to restrict the reserve to within a given distance of a location.

Please enter the Latitude and Longitiude of a given location together with the maximum distance (km) to display a list of reserves within that distance. You must enter a Latitude, a Longitude and a distance greater than 0.
 
Latitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or   GPS help
Longitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or   Find GPS using Google Maps
Distance Bearing  
Get Sample GPS readings


On What Field Trips was this species observed?
Select an area (or leave blank), and a date range, to see field trips on which this species has been recorded.

Area
  All   

From To  
 

Optional: Complete the following if you wish to restrict the reserve to within a given distance of a location.

Please enter the Latitude and Longitiude of a given location together with the maximum distance (km) to display a list of reserves within that distance. You must enter a Latitude, a Longitude and a distance greater than 0.
 
Latitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or   GPS help
Longitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or
Distance Bearing  
Get Sample GPS readings


Latest Sightings for Chukar Partridge
Select the Area to restrict the Sightings.

Area
  All