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28-760: They adopted the name the Chukars following a fan vote when the major league affiliation changed after the 2003 season. A chukar is a game bird found in the region. The Chukars are the only professional sports team in Eastern Idaho . In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Pioneer League, of which the Chukars have been members since 1940, was converted from an MLB-affiliated Rookie Advanced league to an independent baseball league and granted status as an MLB Partner League, with Idaho Falls continuing as members. After fielding

56-453: A grey throat and face with a chestnut crown. Other common names of this bird include chukker ( chuker or chukor ), Indian chukar and keklik . 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

84-400: Is a Palearctic upland gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae . It has been considered to form a superspecies complex along with the rock partridge , Philby's partridge and Przevalski's partridge and treated in the past as conspecific particularly with the first. This partridge has well-marked black and white bars on the flanks and a black band running from the forehead across

112-473: Is a patch of colored feathers found on the throat or upper breast of some species of birds . It is a feature found on many male hummingbirds , particularly those found in North America; these gorgets are typically iridescent . Other species, such as the purple-throated fruitcrow and chukar partridge , also show the feature. The term is derived from the gorget used in military armor to protect

140-499: Is not very reliable. When disturbed, it prefers to run rather than fly, but if necessary it flies a short distance often down a slope on rounded wings, calling immediately after alighting. In Utah, birds were found to forage in an area of about 2.6 km (1.0 sq mi) and travel up to 4.8 km (3.0 mi) to obtain water during the dry season. The home range was found to be even smaller in Idaho. The breeding season

168-405: Is summer. Males perform tidbitting displays, a form of courtship feeding where the male pecks at food and a female may visit to peck in response. The males may chase females with head lowered, wing lowered and neck fluffed. The male may also perform a high step stiff walk while making a special call. The female may then crouch in acceptance and the male mounts to copulate, while grasping the nape of

196-599: The Markandeya Purana (c. 250–500 AD). In North Indian and Pakistani culture, as well as in Hindu mythology , the chukar (referred as Chakor) sometimes symbolizes intense, and often unrequited, love. It is said to be in love with the moon and to gaze at it constantly. Because of their pugnacious behaviour during the breeding season they are kept in some areas as fighting birds. Gorget (birds) A gorget ( / ˈ ɡ ɔːr dʒ ɪ t / GOR -jit )

224-717: The Dead Sea area, whereas in the more eastern areas it is mainly found at an altitude of 2,000 to 4,000 m (6,600 to 13,100 ft) except in Pakistan, where it occurs at 600 m (2,000 ft). They are not found in areas of high humidity or rainfall. 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 . Initial introductions into

252-610: The Idaho Falls Spuds in the Utah–Idaho League from 1926 to 1928, the franchise restarted in 1940 and were called the Russets, playing in the Pioneer League. The team has played each season since then, under various major league affiliations and nicknames, except for three years that the Pioneer League suspended operation due to World War II . It has played in its present city without interruption longer than any team in

280-477: The evolution of avian flight . Chukar will take a wide variety of seeds and some insects as food. It also ingests grit. In Kashmir, the seeds of a species of Eragrostis was particularly dominant in their diet while those in the US favoured Bromus tectorum . Birds feeding on succulent vegetation make up for their water needs but visit open water in summer. Chukar roost on rocky slopes or under shrubs. In

308-480: The "Voice of the Chukars" since 1985. For 2023, Ben Pokorny is the Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations, serving as the solo play-by-play voice for all road games and working in the booth with Balginy for all home games. Numerous Idaho Falls alumni advanced to Major League baseball, some alumni of note include: Chukar partridge The chukar partridge ( Alectoris chukar ), or simply chukar ,

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336-656: The US were from the nominate populations collected from Afghanistan and Nepal. The birds are hunted across the dry, rocky Columbia Basin , especially in the vicinity of the Snake River in Washington and Oregon. It has also been introduced to New South Wales in Australia but breeding populations have not persisted and are probably extinct. A small population exists on Robben Island in South Africa since it

364-515: The birds difficult without retriever dogs. 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. In the non-breeding season, chukar partridge are found in small coveys of 10 or more (up to 50) birds. In summer, chukars form pairs to breed. During this time, the cocks are very pugnacious in their calling and fighting. During winter they descend into

392-411: The breeding season if eggs are collected daily. Chicks join their parents in foraging and will soon join the chicks of other members of the covey. 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

420-462: The breeding season. The release of captive stock in some parts of southern Europe can threaten native populations of rock partridge and red-legged partridge with which they may hybridize. British sportsmen in India considered the chukar as good sport although they were not considered to be particularly good in flavour. Their fast flight and ability to fly some distance after being shot made recovery of

448-456: The eye down the head to form a necklace that encloses a white throat. 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. This bird can be found in parts of Middle East and temperate Asia. The chukar is a rotund 32–35 cm (13–14 in) long partridge, with a light brown back, grey breast, and buff belly. The shades vary across

476-399: The female. Males are monogamous. The nest is a scantily lined ground scrape, though occasionally a compact pad is created with a depression in the centre. Generally, the nests are sheltered by ferns and small bushes, or placed in a dip or rocky hillside under an overhanging rock. About 7 to 14 eggs are laid. The eggs hatch in about 23–25 days. In captivity they can lay an egg each day during

504-602: The inner ranges of the western Himalayas to Nepal , as well as southeasternmost Europe in Bulgaria and Greece . Further west in southeastern Europe it is replaced by the rock partridge , Alectoris graeca . It barely ranges into Africa on the Sinai Peninsula . The habitat in the native range is rocky open hillsides with grass or scattered scrub or cultivation. In Israel and Jordan it is found at low altitudes, starting at 400 m (1,300 ft) below sea level in

532-622: The league. Only the Missoula PaddleHeads , descendants of a charter Pioneer League franchise, the Pocatello Cardinals , have been in the league longer. For much of their history as an affiliated minor league team, the Chukars and their predecessors were many players' first experience with fully professional baseball. As such, a number of notable baseball players saw time in Idaho Falls during their careers. Among

560-841: The more famous baseball alumni of Idaho Falls teams are Billy Martin , Joe Maddon , Jose Canseco , Mike Moustakas , Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler . The Chukars are the only professional sports team in Eastern Idaho . More than one million fans have attended Idaho Falls home games since the team moved into Melaleuca Field in 2007. Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders Manager Coaches [REDACTED] Disabled list ‡ Inactive list § Suspended list Roster  updated April 18, 2024 Transactions All exhibition, regular season and postseason games can be heard on KSPZ ( Fox Sports Radio affiliate) 980 AM - 98.7 FM throughout Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls and Pocatello. The signal also reaches part of Western Wyoming. John Balginy has been

588-415: The past 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. Their song is a noisy chuck-chuck-chukar-chukar from which the name is derived. The Barbary partridge ( Alectoris barbara ) has a reddish-brown rather than black collar with

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616-434: The rare instances where they are found on females, they appear to serve primarily for signaling threats. Young hummingbirds, which need to intrude on adult territories to feed once they have fledged, all lack gorgets. This may help to make them less visible or less threatening to adult birds. This bird-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This vertebrate anatomy –related article

644-655: The throat (which is called gorge in French). Feather wear and exposure to the sun can produce changes in the apparent color of iridescent gorget feathers. For example, fresh gorget feathers on the Anna's hummingbird are rose red; these fade to a coppery bronzy color with age. A number of social functions have been suggested for the gorget. It may aid in mate attraction or in resource defense. It may signal social status or allow species to identify conspecifics. Among hummingbirds, gorgets are typically found only on males. In

672-407: The valleys and feed in fields. They call frequently during the day and especially in the mornings and evenings. The call is loud and includes loud repeated chuck notes and sometimes duetting chuker notes. Several calls varying with context have been noted. The most common call is a "rallying call" which when played back elicits a response from birds and has been used in surveys, although the method

700-425: The various populations. The face is white with a black gorget . It has rufous -streaked flanks, red legs and coral red bill. Sexes are similar, the female slightly smaller in size and lacking the spur. The tail has 14 feathers, the third primary is the longest while the first is level with the fifth and sixth primaries. It is very similar to the rock partridge ( Alectoris graeca ) with which it has been lumped in

728-565: The widespread distribution of the chukar partridge have been described and designated as subspecies. In the past the chukar group was included with the rock partridge (also known as the Greek partridge). The species from Turkey and farther east was subsequently separated from A. graeca of Greece and Bulgaria and western Europe. The chukar has 14 recognized subspecies : This species is relatively unaffected by hunting or loss of habitat. Its numbers are largely affected by weather patterns during

756-513: The winter, birds in the US selected protected niches or caves. A group may roost in a tight circle with their heads pointed outwards to conserve heat and keep a look out for predators. Chukar are sometimes preyed on by golden eagles . Birds in captivity can die from Mycoplasma infection and outbreaks of other diseases such as erysipelas . The name is onomatopoeic and mentions of chakor in Sanskrit, from northern Indian date back to

784-465: Was introduced there in 1964. 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. The chukar partridge is part of a confusing group of "red-legged partridges". Several plumage variations within

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