Stone fowl

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stone fowl
Chukar chicken (Alectoris chukar)

Chukar chicken ( Alectoris chukar )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Chicken birds (Galliformes)
Family : Pheasants (Phasianidae)
Genre : Stone fowl
Scientific name
Alectoris
Kaup , 1829

Rock partridges are powerfully built birds with short neck, large head, short, on the ridges curved beak, medium-high foot with blunt spur or a spur suggestive Hornwarze, mid-length wings and quite long tail . Systematically they are very close to the sand grouse .

The most widespread among the stone fowl is the chukar chicken , which has long been described as a species together with the stone fowl . Due to the very different vocal repertoire, however, it has now become established to differentiate between two types.

The red chicken was also found in Germany in the Rhine , Neckar and Aartal valleys until the 16th century . However, it died out there around 1560 after a deterioration in the climate occurred at that time. However, it is naturalized in the United Kingdom , where it since 1770 for wild game counts.

The Przewalskis stone fowl , the cliff fowl , the Arabian stone fowl and the Philby's stone fowl are endemic species that are very similar to the chukar chicken, but only occur in very limited areas.

The stone hen as game, farm and domestic animal

The stone chicken is very easy to tame and is true to its owner and location, which is why it has become a pet in some countries in India , China , Afghanistan , Turkey and other southern countries . The animals are also bred for eggs and meat, driven to pasture , roam free in the house and garden and are also used for fighting games . They are kept in very narrow, cone-shaped cages because of their pleasant singing . In Greece and Turkey they are believed to offer protection against sorcery .

species

Web links

Commons : Steinhühner ( Alectoris )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

  • Ilse Haseder, Gerhard Stinglwagner: "Knaurs Großes Jagdlexikon", Augsburg: Weltbild, 2000. ISBN 3-8289-1579-5

Individual evidence

  1. Haseder p. 233