As we were pulling out of our driveway the other day I spotted something odd in front of our deer ravaged Yew bushes….
Naturally I made the husband stop while I ran back inside for my camera.
It was an odd looking bird I hadn’t seen before…
And when I looked it up online, I understood why.
It was a Chukar.
Introduced from Eurasia, the sandy-brown Chukar is a game bird that lives in high desert plains of western North America, as well as in Hawaii and New Zealand. Its namesake call echoes across dry rocky slopes. It runs and scampers up steep terrain with the agility and speed of a mountain goat, prompting hunters to nickname it the “devil bird” for the brutal chase it gives. Dark bars on the sides and a band across the head and neck adorn this red-billed game bird.
A devil bird?
Well that’s disturbing…
If you look at the map of it’s range in the U.S…..
You’ll see it’s a long way from Maine.
Which got me curious enough to do a little research.
Oh, stop being so dramatic….. you might learn something.
It’s nothing you need or want to know, but still.
Depending on where you live, you may have the fortune of encountering a medium-sized game bird called Chukar. You’ll recognize this bird from their inclusion in many North American field guides, though they are not a native species. Chukars, pronounced “chuh-kahr“, are an introduced species, originating from mountains of middle Eurasia, now common around the western United States’ Great Basin north into western Canada. With this history, and a lack of showing any establishing populations in Maine, Chukars should be treated like other escaped domestic fowl.
Of course. Happy to…
The American Birding Association put forth Criteria for Determining Establishment of Exotics which Maine’s Chukars don’t meet. These birds are raised and released by commercial hunting operations with no success establishing wild populations. Northern Bobwhites are another game species widely released in Maine. While these small quails have successfully bred in the wild multiple times, none of the populations appear to be growing or even stable enough to warrant becoming established.
So basically they’ve taken these poor birds, who have no hope of surviving here, and released them into the wild so they can hunt and kill them. Of course the ones they don’t shoot will probably die of cold or starvation.
Makes me wish I had scooped the sweet little guy up and brought him in the house as a pet.
Humans are cruel.
Poor thing. What do they eat? Maybe you could put something out for it and see if you could catch it.
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We were on our way out when I saw it… when we came back it was gone and I haven’t seen it since. But if it made it’s way to the backyard… there’s always a buffet!
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You know, sometimes Snowy Owls end up in the southern states. No one every considers them escaped domestic fowl…
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But owls can survive southern winters, Chukars can’t survive northern climates.
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Then, I guess you ARE responsible if something happens to it. How will you live with yourself? And, will you charge yourself rent if you do?
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I’m a stellar room mate. Clean, quiet…. I bet I can get myself a discounted rate.
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Poor thing. Humans ARE cruel. Have you seen a film called “The Parrots of Telegraph Hill”? It’s about a bunch of parrots that escaped captivity and live wild in San Francisco.
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No, I haven’t….
But wild in San Francisco doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch. Hope they’re enjoying it!
🙂
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The devil bird as a pet.
Lock your bedroom door please.
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No worries, the poor thing has taken off for parts unknown.
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uh oh….
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And I thought South Florida was the only State to have odd birds–oh well!
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This one seems to be a transplant….
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I swear, I won’t be surprised if a zebra wanders into your yard one day. You get all the cutest animals!
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If I knew what they ate… I’d put some out to lure them in.
😉
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I had no idea. Also, What in the hell??? Whyyyyy? That’s just awful.
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It is. Poor little fella…
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