Western tragopan
Western tragopan | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Galliformes |
Family: | Phasianidae |
Genus: | Tragopan |
Species: | T. melanocephalus
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Binomial name | |
Tragopan melanocephalus (Gray, JE, 1829)
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The western tragopan or western horned tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus) is a medium-sized brightly plumed pheasant found along the range of
Himalayas from north-eastern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northern Pakistan in the west to Uttarakhand within India to the east. The species is highly endangered and globally threatened.
Identification
The male is very dark, grey and black with numerous white spots, each spot bordered with black and deep crimson patches on the sides and back of the neck. The throat is bare with blue skin while the bare facial skin is red. They have a small black occipital
Males weigh 1.8–2.2 kg (4.0–4.9 lb) and females weigh 1.25–1.4 kg (2.8–3.1 lb).[3] The males vary in length from 55–60 cm (22–24 in) while the females are 48–50 cm (19–20 in).
Distribution
Five populations are known from
Habitats
It inhabits upper
During display, the males show the throat inflated into lappets that appear purple with pink margins. They also display blue horns with a fancied resemblance to those of the Greek mythological god
They are sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance and avoid disturbed habitats (for instance, hydro-electric project development sites).[4]
Status
The western tragopan is considered as one of the rarest
living pheasants. Its range is very restricted. In the Kashmir valley, it is known as daangeer, in Chamba as phulgar and in the Kullu valley as jujurana ("king of birds"). It was accorded the status of state bird of Himachal Pradesh in 2007.
The population of the western tragopan is threatened by several anthropogenic factors throughout its range. The world population is estimated at fewer than 5,000 individuals, including a captive breeding population in Himachal Pradesh which numbered fewer than ten pairs in 2012.[5] CITES has listed this species in Appendix I in order to discourage selling of its feathers. Representing the endemic bird area D02 of Western Himalaya, the western tragopan has been described as a range-restricted species.
Gallery
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by Ustad Mansur 1625
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by D G Elliot 1872
References
- . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ISBN 978-0-8493-4258-5.
- ^ "Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus". BirdLife International. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
- Rasmussen, P.C & Anderton, J. C. (2005) Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions.
External links
- Home of Western Tragopan
- [1] (Government of Himachal Pradesh )