Partridge (Chukar)

sleeping

It is native to India, Pakistan and Afghanistan and has spread with help from humans across 6 provinces and 40 US states. The Chukar Partridge is the national bird of Pakistan, and in Indian mythology, the Chukar Partridge is in love with the moon and looks at it constantly.

These game birds are prized as a challenge by hunters because of the terrain they live in, and the explosive speed they exhibit when first flushed from cover. Partridge prefer dry mountain slopes or grasslands with nearby rocky outcroppings where they can hide. They rarely fly but are excellent runners and hop across rocky terrain. 

They eat seeds, grasses, bulbs, stems, fruit and leaves, as well as small insects such as grasshoppers, caterpillars, crickets and ants.


Photographed at Bird Kingdom, Niagara Falls, ON