Elie Karam a Lebanese shepard in Hima Kheirbet Khanafar shoot by his smart phone a female Chukar partridge protecting her newly fledged brood. This picture is a testimonial for how a shepard can contribute to nature and bird conservation.
The Partridge (Alectoris graeca) is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. This is a resident breeder in dry, open and often hilly country. It nests in a scantily lined ground scrape laying 5-21 eggs. The Partridge takes a wide variety of seeds and some insect food. The Partridge is a rotund bird, with a light brown back, grey breast and buff belly. The face is white with a black gorget. It has rufous-streaked flanks and red legs. When disturbed, it prefers to run rather than fly, but if necessary it flies a short distance on rounded wings. This species is declining in parts of its range due to habitat loss and over-hunting.
