Chicken-like, bulky, with short legs and tail. Adult has thick vertical black bars on flanks, sandy gray back and wings, orange undertail coverts, gray breast, creamy white belly, white throat with thick black border, red orbital ring around black eye, and short red bill.

Length: 36 (cm) Wingspan: 51 (cm)

Voice:

Clucking, chuckling series, ending with loud chu-KAR notes. Various soft clucks.

Habitat:

Dry, arid canyons, slopes with a rocky component, desert draws.

Behavior:

Usually in groups of 5-40 birds, walking along ground, sometimes perched on exposed rocky lookouts. Nest is in a depression, hidden by shrub or rock, lined with fine materials.

Feeding:

Forages on ground, pecking at grasses, seeds, and grains.