Native to southern Eurasia, the Chukar also has introduced populations in rocky, dry country of western North America.
It has sandy-brown plumage, bold black bars on its sides, a dark stripe through the eye, and a red bill. Its body is plump with a small round head.
Chukars walk through dry rocky slopes and low scrub, feeding on seeds, shoots, leaves and insects. Their ground nests occupy scrapes sheltered by vegetation. During development, their wings work together with the legs as well as eventually supporting flight.
A 2009 study filmed captive chicks climbing and descending with high-speed cameras. Three climbing birds were followed repeatedly from the day after hatching to 58 days old. At one to three days, chicks often placed their wings against the ramp and crawled upwards using both wings and legs.
From about eight days, chicks used symmetrical wingbeats while climbing. Before sustained flight, wings and legs together helped them negotiate steep slopes. Flapping also reduced downward acceleration and helped them land feet first. Level flight appeared at about 20 days in this study, after wings were already contributing to locomotion.
IUCN Red List · Least Concern · Global
The 2019 amended version of the 2018 IUCN global assessment lists Chukar as Least Concern with a stable trend. Habitat loss and heavy hunting are concerns in Azerbaijan, and habitat degradation affects other areas. Proposed measures include protecting important habitat and assessing pesticide impacts.