石鸡种

亚种

石鸡北疆亚种（学名：Alectoris chukar dzungarica）。分布于蒙古以及中国新疆等地。该物种的模式产地在中国塔尔巴哈台蒙拉克山。

石鸡新疆亚种（学名：Alectoris chukar falki）。分布于阿富汗、帕米尔高原北部、哈萨克斯坦以及中国新疆等地。该物种的模式产地在吉尔吉斯斯坦伊塞克湖。

石鸡内蒙亚种（学名：Alectoris chukar ordoscensis）。

石鸡疆西亚种（学名：Alectoris chukar pallescens）。分布于阿富汗、帕米尔高原、克什米尔以及中国新疆等地。该物种的模式产地在库鲁山。

石鸡南疆亚种（学名：Alectoris chukar pallida）。分布于中国新疆、青海等地。该物种的模式产地在新疆叶尔羌。

石鸡贺兰山亚种（学名：Alectoris chukar potanini）。分布于蒙古以及中国甘肃、新疆等地。该物种的模式产地在贺兰山。

石鸡华北亚种（学名：Alectoris chukar pubescens）。分布中国于东北、内蒙古、河北、河南、山东、山西、江苏、陕西、甘肃等地。该物种的模式产地在华北至长江上游。

保护

本种于2023年被收录入《有重要生态、科学、社会价值的陆生野生动物名录》。

The chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar), or simply chukar, is a Palearctic upland gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It has been considered to form a superspecies complex along with the rock partridge, Philby's partridge and Przevalski's partridge and treated in the past as conspecific particularly with the first. This partridge has well-marked black and white bars on the flanks and a black band running from the forehead across the eye down the head to form a necklace that encloses a white throat. Native to Asia, the species has been introduced into many other places and feral populations have established themselves in parts of North America, Malta and New Zealand. This bird can be found in parts of Middle East and temperate Asia.

Description

The chukar is a rotund 32–35 cm (13–14 in) long partridge, with a light brown back, grey breast, and buff belly. The shades vary across the various populations. The face is white with a black gorget. It has rufous-streaked flanks, red legs and coral red bill. Sexes are similar, the female slightly smaller in size and lacking the spur. The tail has 14 feathers, the third primary is the longest while the first is level with the fifth and sixth primaries.

It is very similar to the rock partridge (Alectoris graeca) with which it has been lumped in the past but is browner on the back and has a yellowish tinge to the foreneck.

Distribution and habitat

This partridge has its native range in Asia, including Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Turkey, Kurdistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and India, along the inner ranges of the western Himalayas to Nepal, as well as southeasternmost Europe in Bulgaria and Greece. Further west in southeastern Europe it is replaced by the rock partridge, Alectoris graeca. It barely ranges into Africa on the Sinai Peninsula. The habitat in the native range is rocky open hillsides with grass or scattered scrub or cultivation.

Systematics and taxonomy

The chukar partridge is part of a confusing group of "red-legged partridges". Several plumage variations within the widespread distribution of the chukar partridge have been described and designated as subspecies. In the past the chukar group was included with the rock partridge (also known as the Greek partridge). The species from Turkey and farther east was subsequently separated from A. graeca of Greece and Bulgaria and western Europe.

Subspecies

The chukar has 14 recognized subspecies:

A. c. chukar (nominate species) (J. E. Gray, 1830) - eastern Afghanistan to eastern Nepal

A. c. cypriotes (Hartert, 1917) - southeastern Bulgaria to southern Syria, Crete, Rhodes and Cyprus

Population and status

This species is relatively unaffected by hunting or loss of habitat. Its numbers are largely affected by weather patterns during the breeding season. The release of captive stock in some parts of southern Europe can threaten native populations of rock partridge and red-legged partridge with which they may hybridize.

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. During cold winters, when the higher areas are covered in snow, people in Kashmir have been known to use a technique to tire the birds out to catch them.

In culture

The name is onomatopoeic and mentions of chakor in Sanskrit, from northern Indian date back to the Markandeya Purana (c. 250–500 AD). In North Indian and Pakistani culture, as well as in Hindu mythology, the chukar (referred as Chakor) sometimes symbolizes intense, and often unrequited, love. It is said to be in love with the moon and gazes at it constantly. Because of their pugnacious behaviour during the breeding season they are kept in some areas as fighting birds.

It is also mentioned in a variety of Jewish sources, such as the Torah, Jeremiah, Samuel, Talmud, and Mishnah. When David was being targeted by King Saul, he accuses Saul of pursuing him "as the partridge hunts."