What kind of animal is a chukar?

A chukar is a bird, specifically the chukar partridge, a ground-dwelling member of the pheasant family. Its scientific name is Alectoris chukar, and it is native to parts of Eurasia, including the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Himalayas.

Chukars are compact birds with gray backs, pale bellies, and distinctive black bars on the flanks. They also have a black band running across the eyes and down around the throat. Their call is a repeated, sharp “chuk-chuk” sound, which is the source of the common name.

The species has been introduced widely outside its native range. In the United States, chukars were brought in as a game bird and are now established in dry, rocky regions, especially across parts of the Great Basin and the Intermountain West. They are well suited to steep slopes and semi-arid terrain, where they eat seeds, grasses, and other plant material.

A common mix-up is calling a chukar a chicken or turkey because it is hunted as game. It is neither: it is a distinct partridge species within the bird order Galliformes.