Chukar
· Habitat
In North America, Chukars board dry high-elevation shrublands between four,000 and 13,000 feet. They usually occur on steep, rocky hillsides with a mix of brush, grasses, and forbs. They conjointly occur across barren plateaus and deserts with thin grasses. In most areas, blue sage is that the dominant plant species, which may be a crucial a part of their diet. Chukars tend to not stray faraway from water, particularly throughout the short, hot summers. Individuals move unendingly and vary wide, particularly throughout winter once birds move in teams. In tough winters with heavy snowfalls, Chukars may venture down into agricultural fields or towns in search of food.
Chukars area unit ground foragers and area unit preponderantly eater as adults; chicks area unit fed chiefly insects. In North America, Chukars' most well-liked foods area unit the leaves and seeds of annual and perennial grasses (primarily introduced cheatgrass). Chukars additionally eat seeds from pinon pine, sunflower, rough phacelia, and Descurainia pinnata. During the late fall and winter, inexperienced grass leaves offer the majority of their diet.
· Nesting
Chukars hide their nests close to rocks and coat mountain slopes, or under sagebrush, saltbush, goldenbush, or desert tea.
· NEST DESCRIPTION
Chukar nests ar easy depressions scraped within the ground and lined with dry grasses and breast feathers. One nest measured in British Columbia had an outside diameter of about 8 inches and was 2 inches deep. Females do most of the nest tending, though males typically stick with their mates and facilitate throughout the nesting season.
· Behavior
Chukars pay most of their time on the bottom, solely backing out for brief distances once vulnerable. Their alert and vocal nature create them sentinels for approaching danger, and they have distinct calls for both ground and overhead predators. Birds roost on the bottom, often tucked under vegetation or a rock. Chukars area unit monogynic and males hold territories throughout the breeding amount. Courtship displays typically begin with career by the male and feminine. The male then performs a mixture of poses and behaviors, including tilting his head, turning sideways, pecking at objects, and circling the female, sometimes with a wing held low sweeping the ground. The male typically leaves the female after the eggs are laid, though a small percentage of males stay with the family group. Chukars area unit social birds and family teams known as coveys that may grow to incorporate multiple families. Unmated adults of each sexes can also type a covey. During years of drought, adults may stay in these coveys all year, with only a few individuals pairing up to breed.
· Conservation
Chukars were introduced to the u. s. from Pakistan in 1893, however few survived. Between 1931 and 1970, additional introductions in the western U.S. helped establish wild populations in 10 western states (California, Idaho, Nevada, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming) and British Columbia, Canada. Chukars conjointly with success settled the six main islands in Hawaii when introductions within the twentieth century. Now they're common within the western us and Canadian province and therefore the population was stable from 1968 to 2015, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners on the wing estimates the worldwide breeding population at nine million. The species rates a six out of twenty on the Continental Concern Score, which means it is not on the Partners in Flight Watch List. Wildlife officers manage Chukars as Associate in Nursing upland game species and a few states still unleash farm-reared birds for looking functions.
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