Looking back, I feel fortunate that I got the chance to witness this. My friend started clicking pictures while all I could do was capture the beauty of this bird with my mind’s eye. We sat there, crouching near the ground as it went about pecking in the grass. Electric blues blended into brilliant greens and vivid oranges. Its brilliant colours sparkled in the evening sun. About twenty to thirty feet from where we stood was a bird that took my breath away. We walked for a few minutes and came upon a clearing. I walked up to him, and in hushed tones, he told me that he had spotted a bird. After trekking through rain and slush, we reached the Dzongri campsite on Day 4, wet and exhausted.Īs I was about to step into my tent for a short nap, I noticed my co-trekker waving out to me from a distance. It was my first Himalayan trek and a challenging one at that. doi: 10.Four years ago, I embarked on the Goechala trek with twenty-odd friends. ![]() ![]() " Influence of Human Disturbance on the Abundance of Himalayan Pheasant (Aves, Galliformes) in the Temperate Forest of Western Himalaya, India". ^ Jolli, Virat & Maharaj K Pandit (2011).Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern. Scottish band Mogwaï played a song called Danphe and the Brain on their album The Hawk is Howling. In the 2009 Disney-Pixar Film Up, the large flightless tropical bird "Kevin" (which is actually a female) is based upon the iridescent appearance of a male Himalayan Monal found at the Sacramento Zoo. In a recent study, their population responded negatively to human disturbance (Hydro-electric project development) The male monal has been under heavy hunting pressure for its crest feather, which was used for ornamental hats of Himachal men, until 1982 when legal hunting was banned in the state. The population of this species in most of its range is threatened due to poaching and other anthropogenic factors. Seen in pairs during the breeding season (April to August), they form large coveys and involve in communal roosting during the winter. They, however, show tolerance to snow and have been observed to dig through snow for roots, tubers and other plant parts, and invertebrates. They seem to exhibit clear and fluctuating altitudinal migration reaching as low as 2000m in winter. It occupies upper temperate oak- conifer forests interspersed with open grassy slopes, cliffs and alpine meadows between 2400 – 4500m, mostly concentrating in a narrow belt of 2700 – 3700m. There is also a report of its occurrence in Burma. Its natural range spreads from eastern Afghanistan through the Himalayas including Kashmir region of Northern Pakistan, India (states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh), Nepal, southern Tibet and Bhutan. The Himalayan Monal secures a distinct position among pheasants due to its prominent build, brilliant plumage and strong association with local folklore. ![]() First year males and immatures resemble females, but first year males are larger and the immatures are less distinctly marked. Females have a prominent white patch in the fore neck and a white strip on the tail. Tail feathers of males are uniformly rufous being darker towards the tips, whereas the lower tail coverts of females are white, barred with black and rufous. Notable features in males are a long crest that is metallic green, changeable reddish copper on the back and sides of the neck, and a prominent white back and rump while in flight (birds of northwestern India lack this). ![]() Adult males possess a long crest, are feathered with multicoloured plumage throughout their body, while the females, like in other pheasants, are dull in colour with the upper parts covered with dark brownish-black feathers. About 70 cm in length, the weight of males and females range between 1980-2380g and 1800-2150g respectively. It is a relatively large-sized bird with reference to family Phasianidae.
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