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Biology

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A highly communicative bird, the Himalayan monal uses several different call types to express meaning to its mate, other birds in its foraging group, or intruding birds. Males also use body displays to attract females; bobbing the head-crest and fanning their tail feathers. The breeding season begins in April when the monals are at higher altitudes. The male switches from calling only in the early morning to calling throughout the day. Once a female notices his display they mate and shortly afterwards she scrapes a nest in the ground and lays between three and five eggs. The female must incubate the eggs alone, but the male will stand guard throughout the 27-day incubation period and until fledging to protect the eggs and chicks from predators. After six months the young are completely independent and must search for food and mates alone (5). Like many of the pheasants, quails and partridges in the Phasianidae family, the Himalayan monal has very strong legs and a long, curved beak which together enable it to dig into the hard soil of the mountains to uncover seeds, tubers, shoots, berries, and insects. This method of foraging leaves conspicuous areas of turned over soil up to 25 cm deep on hillsides (2).
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Conservation

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The Himalayan monal's status as the national bird of Nepal helps to raise awareness of this stunning bird and its needs, and it is hoped that this may keep the species safe in the future. It is currently common and has been recorded in many protected areas in its range, as well as many areas that are not suffering degradation. It is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora which prevents unlicensed export of the species or its body parts. This listing prevents the possibility that such an extraordinary bird might find popularity as a pet (2).
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Description

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A stunningly colourful member of the pheasant family, the Himalayan monal is the national bird of Nepal. The iridescent rainbow-like plumage of the male is surpassed only by the slightly larger Chinese monal (Lophophorus lhuysii). The male Himalayan monal possesses a wiry, metallic green head-crest that is absent in other monal species, as well as a chestnut brown tail, light brown wings and a white rump that is visible in flight. The head is bright green, the eyes ringed with blue and the neck reddish brown. At the nape of the neck is a yellow patch which forms the top edge of the bluish black wings and the purplish black back. The breast is dark brown and the tail feathers are light brown. Females do not share the same splendour as males, with overall dark brown feathers, except for a white throat and rump patch, and the bright blue circle around the eyes. The female also has a crest, but whereas the male's is green and has spoon-shaped feathers, the female's is shorter, and brown with ordinary feathers (2) (4).
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Habitat

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During the summer months, the Himalayan monal ventures above the tree-line to wander on the grassy slopes, but during winter it is found in coniferous and mixed forests with a high proportion of rhododendrons and bamboo, where it shelters from the weather. It is a high-altitude species, remaining between 2,100 and 4,500 metres above sea level (2) (4).
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Range

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Found in the Himalayas from eastern Afghanistan to Bhutan, northeast India and southern Tibet; the Himalayan monal has also been reported from Burma (2).
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Status

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Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List 2006 (1) and listed on Appendix I of CITES (3).
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Threats

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The specific requirements of the Himalayan monal make it important to conserve its habitat, but currently this beautiful bird is not seriously threatened. In many parts of its range tree harvesting takes place and additionally this pheasant is hunted for food. It is also hunted for the colourful plumes of its headdress by the inhabitants of Kulu Valley, but this practice appears to have declined significantly in the last ten years. For now the Himalayan monal is not at risk (2) (5).
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Himalayan monal

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The Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus), also called Impeyan monal and Impeyan pheasant, is a pheasant native to Himalayan forests and shrublands at elevations of 2,100–4,500 m (6,900–14,800 ft). It is part of the family Phasianidae and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.[1] It is the national bird of Nepal, where it is known as the danphe or danfe,[2] and state bird of Uttarakhand, India, where it is known as monal.[3] The scientific name commemorates Lady Mary Impey, the wife of the British chief justice of Bengal, Sir Elijah Impey.

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

A female in Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary, India

The Himalayan monal's native range extends from Afghanistan and Pakistan through the Himalayas in India, Nepal, southern Tibet and Bhutan.[1] In Pakistan, it is most common in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and has also been recorded in Kaghan, Palas Valley and Azad Kashmir.[4] In India, it has been recorded throughout the Indian Himalayan Region from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh.[5] It lives in upper temperate oak-conifer forests interspersed with open grassy slopes, cliffs and alpine meadows between 2,400 and 4,500 m (7,900 and 14,800 ft), where it is most common between 2,700 and 3,700 m (8,900 and 12,100 ft). It descends to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in the winter. It tolerates snow and digs through it to obtain plant roots and invertebrate prey.

Behaviour and ecology

Himalayan monal eggs collection in Museum Wiesbaden

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 poaching and other anthropogenic factors. In the western Himalayas, the population responded negatively to human disturbance involving hydroelectric power development.[7] It is not considered endangered in Pakistan and can be easily located. In some areas, the population density of the species is as high as five pairs per square mile. The main threat to the species is poaching, as the crest is valuable. It is thought to bring status to its wearer and is a symbol of authority.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d BirdLife International (2016). "Lophophorus impejanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22679182A92806166. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22679182A92806166.en. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Animal stories: Danfe". The Himalayan Times. 2007. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b "Himalayan Monal". Pheasants of Pakistan. Wildlife of Pakistan. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  5. ^ "Sclater's Monal and Himalayan Monal sighted in Arunachal's Upper Siang". EastMojo. 2021-06-08.
  6. ^ Hussain, M.S.; Sultana, A. (2013). "Diet of threatened Pheasant species in Himalayas, India – A faecal analysis approach". Ecologia Balkanica. 5 (1): 57–68.
  7. ^ Jolli, V. & Pandit, M. K. (2011). "Influence of human disturbance on the abundance of Himalayan Pheasant (Aves, Galliformes) in the temperate forest of Western Himalaya, India". Vestnik Zoologii. 45 (6): e40–e47. doi:10.2478/v10058-011-0035-0. S2CID 55089271.

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Himalayan monal: Brief Summary

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The Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus), also called Impeyan monal and Impeyan pheasant, is a pheasant native to Himalayan forests and shrublands at elevations of 2,100–4,500 m (6,900–14,800 ft). It is part of the family Phasianidae and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is the national bird of Nepal, where it is known as the danphe or danfe, and state bird of Uttarakhand, India, where it is known as monal. The scientific name commemorates Lady Mary Impey, the wife of the British chief justice of Bengal, Sir Elijah Impey.

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