Chukar Partridge

Chukar Partridge  

(Alectoris chukar)

Photographed at

Bird Kingdom, Niagara Falls, Canada        Feb 2012

This partridge has its native range in Asia, the Chukar was introduced into the United States from Pakistan to be a game bird. British sportsmen in India considered the Chukar as good sport although they were not considered to be particularly good in flavour. Their fast flight and ability to fly some distance after being shot made recovery of the birds difficult without retriever dogs. It lives in dry, rocky terrain across the western United States and southern Canada.

The Chukar is the National bird of Pakistan. In Punjab, the Chukar has been considered as a symbol of intense, and often unrequited, love. They look a lot like a quail without the protruding head feathers.

Return to Partridges