Native to Asia, the species has been introduced into many other places and feral populations have established themselves in parts of North America, Malta and New Zealand.

The chukar is a rotund 32–35 cm (13–14 in) long partridge, with a light brown back, grey breast, and buff belly.

[3] It is very similar to the rock partridge (Alectoris graeca) with which it has been lumped in the past[4] but is browner on the back and has a yellowish tinge to the foreneck.

The sharply defined gorget distinguishes this species from the red-legged partridge which has the black collar breaking into dark streaks near the breast.

[5] The Barbary partridge (Alectoris barbara) has a reddish-brown rather than black collar with a grey throat and face with a chestnut crown.

This partridge has its native range in Asia, including Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Turkey, Kurdistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and India, along the inner ranges of the western Himalayas to Nepal, as well as southeasternmost Europe in Bulgaria and Greece.

[8] It has been introduced widely as a game bird, and feral populations have become established in the United States (Rocky Mountains, Great Basin, high desert areas of California), Canada, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand and Hawaii.

[14] The chukar readily interbreeds with the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa), and the practice of breeding and releasing captive-bred hybrids has been banned in various countries including the United Kingdom, as it is a threat to wild populations.

Their fast flight and ability to fly some distance after being shot made recovery of the birds difficult without retriever dogs.

[21] During cold winters, when the higher areas are covered in snow, people in Kashmir have been known to use a technique to tire the birds out to catch them.

Generally, the nests are sheltered by ferns and small bushes, or placed in a dip or rocky hillside under an overhanging rock.

[6]As young chukars grow, and before flying for the first time, they utilize wing-assisted incline running as a transition to adult flight.

This behaviour is found in several bird species, but has been extensively studied in chukar chicks, as a model to explain the evolution of avian flight.

[41][42][43] The name is onomatopoeic and mentions of chakor in Sanskrit, from northern Indian date back to the Markandeya Purana (c. 250–500 AD).

[44][45] In North Indian and Pakistani culture, as well as in Hindu mythology, the chukar (referred as Chakor) sometimes symbolizes intense, and often unrequited, love.