Chukar chicken
| Chukar chicken | ||||||||||
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Chukar chicken ( Alectoris chukar ) |
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| Alectoris chukar | ||||||||||
| ( Gray , 1830) |
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The chukar ( Alectoris chukar ), also Chukarsteinhuhn called, is a bird art from the family of pheasant-like (Phasianidae) used to order the chicken birds heard (Galliformes). It has within the genre of rock partridges the most extensive area of distribution and is found to northern China from the Balkan Peninsula and the islands of the sea Ägäischens. It uses habitats that differ greatly in terms of relief, climate and vegetation, which is why the chukar chicken is also known as a bird species with high ecological plasticity .
Chukarhühner are a significant especially in the mountainous regions of the Caucasus, Central Asia and Kazakhstan wild game . Hunting is mainly done with firearms. The hunting season falls mainly in the months of November and December, when chukar chickens reach their maximum weight.
The chukar chicken as game, livestock and domestic animal
The Chukar is very easy to tame and is true to its owner and location, which is why it has become a pet in Iran , 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. Because of their pleasant song, they are kept in very narrow, conical cages. In Greece and Turkey it is believed that they offer protection against sorcery .
Appearance
Chukars do not exhibit sexual dimorphism . The nominate shape is characterized by a wine-red parting that merges into ash gray on the sides and on the back of the head. The forehead is black. A black band also surrounds the eyes and a red-brown ear patch. A gray-white band over the eyes is located over the eye and ear region. The plumage on the upper back and shoulders is also wine-reddish; The rump, upper tail-coverts and lower back, on the other hand, are ash gray. The beak, the wax skin of the eyes and the legs are colored coral red.
Adult chukar chickens are very similar to the alpine stone hen . However, the throat and pits are white in the Alpine stone fowl and not creamy in color as in the Chukar fowl. However, the two chicken birds do not overlap in their range.
The chicks are creamy white on the underside of the body. A thin blackish streak runs from the eyes over the ear covers. The parting is light brown with dark spots. The top of the body is blackish-brown with three cream-colored vertical stripes.
Locomotion
Chukars only fly up when they either want to quickly escape a sudden danger or when they want to reach the bottom of ravines quickly. They do not fly long distances. The maximum distance a chukar hen can fly from a mountain top is estimated to be just two kilometers. In flight phases alternate with fast wing beats and glide phases.
Voice and instrumental sound
Due to the limited visibility in their typically rugged habitat, Chukar chickens keep in contact with their troop or the partner bird by making sounds. In regions where chukars are common, their voices can be heard throughout the day. They are only silent during the breeding phase and the first time leading the young.
The name for the chicken was given by the striking call, which is reminiscent of a chukar . It is integrated into a sequence of calls that is reminiscent of a chuk ... chuk .... chuk .... pertschuk ... chukar-chukar-chukar . With this reputation squad members gather; it is also the warning call of males to demarcate territories. The singing is deeper and rougher than that of the Alpine stone hen. The individual elements are longer and follow one another more closely. As with the Alpine stone chicken, startled Chuckar chickens fly up with a loud roaring flight noise (so-called instrumental sound ). This loud noise probably has the function of frightening enemies of the ground.
Distribution area
The chukar grouse occurs from the south-eastern Balkans across the Middle East and Inner Asia to Manchuria . It was also introduced in North America , Hawaii , New Zealand and South Africa .
The northern border of the distribution area runs over the Rhodope Mountains , the southern shore of the Black Sea, the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus , the Mangyschlak peninsula , the southern foothills of the Ustyurt plateau , Karatau mountains , the northern slopes of the Tienshan , Tschüi-Ili mountains , Djungarian Alatau , Tarbagatai , Saur Mountains , southern Altai , western Tannu-ola Mountains , Changai Mountains and Church Mountains . The southern border of the distribution area stretches from the southeastern part of the Balkans across Asia Minor, the southern Middle East, across southern Iran, Pakistan, northern India and the Chinese provinces of Sichuan and Shanxi .
habitat
Chukars inhabit a number of very different habitats . In general, the chukar hen is a characteristic bird species of highly indented regions of the steppe, semi-desert and desert zones of the Palearctic. However, due to its adaptability, it is able to use very different habitats. In the Pamir, for example, it also occurs on alpine meadows at 4000 meters above sea level. Most often, however, it occurs at altitudes between 500 and 2000 meters. It prefers very rugged, rocky spaces with slopes, scree fields, open grassy areas and individual groups of shrubs. What is essential is the presence of water in the form of mountain rivers, streams or springs.
Way of life
Chukars are predominantly resident birds . However, populations living in the high mountains migrate to lower altitudes in the winter months. For Tajikistan , migratory movements have also been described that deviate from the way of life of populations in other regions. From September onwards, the Chukar chickens migrate from the high mountains of the central to the low-precipitation low mountain ranges in the south of Tajikistan, which they reach around December. They return to their breeding grounds in May. They mostly live in flocks and can only be observed in pairs during the breeding season.
Chukars look for their food mainly on the ground. They mainly eat vegetable food, but also ingest small amounts of invertebrates. They tear off green parts of plants and fruits with their beak. Plant parts in the ground such as onions can be chopped out with their beak or scraped free with their feet. They seek watering especially in the period July to September. In spring they can cover their water needs with green plant parts, in winter they eat snow. High snow cover limits the search for food considerably. They therefore prefer to stay on southern slopes in winter, where the snow is less deep and individual sections are cleared of snow more quickly. Chukar chickens often starve to death when there is frequent snowfall with longer periods of frost. Snow also hampers their locomotion, making them easy prey for predators in snowy winters.
Roosters fight fierce fights for the breeding grounds, which has led to the fact that cockfights are also carried out with this species , especially in Pakistan . The nest is a shallow hollow and is laid out differently with parts of plants in the immediate vicinity. The clutch consists of 8 to 15 eggs, which are yellowish to gray-brown in color and have reddish-brown speckles. The female breeds alone. It begins with the brood as soon as the clutch is complete. The chicks hatch after 22 to 24 days.
Systematics
14 subspecies have developed within its natural range. The A. c. cypriotex , which can be found in Bulgaria , the Aegean Islands , Crete , Rhodes and Asia Minor. The nominate form A. c. By contrast, chukar lives in eastern Afghanistan , Kashmir and the Himalayas as far as western Nepal .
In the past, the alpine stone hen and the chukar hen were described as one species. In the meantime, however, it has become established to regard the two as each independent species. The decisive factor for this classification was the very different vocal repertoire of the two species.
supporting documents
literature
- Heinz-Sigurd Raethel : quail, partridge, stone fowl, francoline and relatives. Reutlingen publishing house, Reutlingen 1996, ISBN 3-88627-155-2 .
- RL Potapov, VE Fling (HRSG): Handbook of the birds of the Soviet Union . Volume 4: Galliformes, Gruiformes. Aula Verlag, Wiesbaden 1989, ISBN 3-89104-417-8
Web links
- Alectoris chukar in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed on December 21 of 2008.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings for Alectoris chukar in the Internet Bird Collection
- Feathers of the chukar chicken
Individual evidence
- ↑ Protocol & Fling, 1989, p. 59
- ^ Protocol & Fling, 1989, p. 67
- ↑ Collin Harrison, Peter Castell: Young birds, eggs and nests of birds in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. 2nd Edition. Aula, Wiebelsheim 2004, ISBN 3-89104-685-5 . P. 110
- ↑ Protocol & Fling, 1989, p. 59
- ^ Protocol & Fling, 1989, p. 56
- ↑ Hans-Heiner Bergmann; Hans-Wolfgang Helb; Sabine Baumann; The voices of the birds of Europe - 474 bird portraits with 914 calls and chants on 2,200 sonograms , Aula-Verlag, Wiesbaden 2008, ISBN 978-3-89104-710-1 ; P. 81.
- ↑ Protocol & Fling, 1989, p. 58
- ↑ Protocol & Fling, 1989, p. 58
- ↑ Protocol & Fling, 1989, p. 59
- ↑ Protocol & Fling, 1989, p. 59
- ↑ Protocol & Fling, 1989, p. 59
- ↑ Protocol & Fling, 1989, p. 59
- ↑ Protocol & Fling, 1989, p. 63
- ↑ Collin Harrison, Peter Castell: Young birds, eggs and nests of birds in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. 2nd Edition. Aula, Wiebelsheim 2004, ISBN 3-89104-685-5 . P. 109