Look quickly, a Chukar won't linger for long

Your word of the month is “gallinaceous.”

- BRUCE MCCAMMON

An adjective, gallinaceous is used to describe a group of heavy-bodied terrestrial birds. Included in the group are pheasants, turkeys, grouse, quail and the subject of this month’s feature — the Chukar or Chukar Partridge.

These are game birds and are widely hunted.

Knowing that, you can safely assume that Chukar are going to be

Still, you can hear and see them throughout the shrubsteppe communities of central Washington. The backroads on the Waterville plateau and our foothill trails are all good places to watch and listen for Chukar.