Small game - birds

Thracian chukar (Alectoris chukar)

The Thracian chukar (Alectoris chukar) is a bird of the Pheasant family. It is also found in Bulgaria. There is a slight sexual dimorphism. Males are gray-brown above, and below the body is whitish with dark transverse bands on the loins. The breast is gray, under the chin and on the back it is cream, surrounded by a black collar of feathers. The feathers of the ears are rusty-brown in color. Females are slightly smaller, with more uniform head plumage. Males, unlike females, have a spur on the foot. The Thracian keklik is distributed from the island of Crete and southeastern Bulgaria east to China. In the north it reaches the Altai Mountains, and in the south to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Inhabits dry, stony terrains and rock screes with low herbaceous vegetation. In Bulgaria, it is found from South-Eastern Bulgaria to the Eastern Rhodopes, and in the north - to the southern slopes of Sredna Gora.