On my way home today I saw a bird on the ground. From the road it looked like a male cooper hawk. I pulled over and took a shot of it to find out that no it was not a hawk but a chukar.
What is a chukar
Chukar: Large, quail-like bird with orange-brown and slate-blue upperparts and breast, and black and rufous barred white flanks. White face has sharp black line extending to neck. Bill and legs are bright pink-red. Escapes danger by running. Direct flight with rapid deep wing beats.
Range and Habitat
Chukar: Introduced from Eurasia; now occurs from British Columbia and Alberta south to California and Colorado. Preferred habitats include arid rocky hillsides and canyons.
For more info check out this web site. It is possible this is a escape bird from a game farm - but who knows.
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/694/overview/Chukar.aspx
