Himalayan monal
Himalayan monal | |
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Male | |
Female | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Galliformes |
Family: | Phasianidae |
Genus: | Lophophorus |
Species: | L. impejanus
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Binomial name | |
Lophophorus impejanus (Latham, 1790)
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The Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus), also called Impeyan monal and Impeyan pheasant, is a
Description
It is a relatively large-sized pheasant. The bird is about 70 cm (28 in) long. The male weighs up to 2,380 g (84 oz) and the female 2,150 g (76 oz). The adult male has multicoloured plumage throughout, while the female, as in other pheasants, is more subdued in colour. Notable features in the male include a long, metallic green crest, coppery feathers on the back and neck, and a prominent white rump that is most visible when the bird is in flight. The tail feathers of the male are uniformly rufous, becoming darker towards the tips, whereas the lower tail coverts of females are white, barred with black and red. The female has a prominent white patch on the throat and a white strip on the tail. The first-year male and the juvenile resemble the female, but the first-year male is larger and the juvenile is less distinctly marked.
Distribution and habitat
The Himalayan monal's native range extends from
In Pakistan, it is most common in theBehaviour and ecology
The diet of the Himalayan monal consists primarily of tubers, nuts, tender leaves, shoots, insects and other invertebrates. It digs in snow for shoots and invertebrates. Plant matter made up a large part of the diet, although invertebrate matter was also present in low percentages.[6]
Conservation
In some areas, the Himalayan monal is threatened due to
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 January 2022.
- ^ "Animal stories: Danfe". The Himalayan Times. 2007. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
- ^ Goswami, A. (2012). "सबसे सुंदर पंछियों में से एक मोनाल" [Monal is one of the most beautiful birds]. Prabha Sakshi (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 12 April 2013.
- ^ a b "Himalayan Monal". Pheasants of Pakistan. Wildlife of Pakistan. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
- ^ "Sclater's Monal and Himalayan Monal sighted in Arunachal's Upper Siang". EastMojo. 2021-06-08.
- ^ Hussain, M.S.; Sultana, A. (2013). "Diet of threatened Pheasant species in Himalayas, India – A faecal analysis approach". Ecologia Balkanica. 5 (1): 57–68.
- S2CID 55089271.