An actual "Partridge Family"
Many
partridges live
in
coveys which are small flocks made up
of mainly family. The
chukar, however, fuse conveys with other chukars to form larger
flocks. These flocks
can contain anywhere from ten to forty birds.
As a whole, partridges are highly gregarious and yet
monogamous.
Chukars
prefer to roost on the ground usually in the open or around
rocks. In the
spring, birds pair off.
When the eggs are laid (usually beginning mid-April and
lasting until the first of May), commonly in a hollow near a
rock or bush, the male chukars part their ways from the females
and go off to form their own groups with other males.
The females stay and incubate these creamy,
brown-speckled eggs for about twenty-two days.
Hens will often lay forty or more eggs a season.
Later, after the eggs hatch, the males return to help
care for the young chicks.
Unlike some birds who are on their own from birth, chukar
chicks like those of the
black neck swan, depend on
their parents for warmth, protection, and food.
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